The Librarians and the Book of Myths
by Crisdin
Summary: Everyone has a bad day sometimes. Cassie thought that a pink sweater and a nice relaxing read would improve her mood. Unfortunately, her choice of books with some interference from Jake and Ezekiel, combine to make everyone's day considerably worse!
1. Chapter 1

The Librarians and The Book of Myths

Chapter 1, Having a Really Bad Day

Working an oil rig was exhausting. Every day entailed long hours, short breaks, and heavy manual labor. By evening, a man could feel the fatigue in every muscle in his body including a few he forgot he had. Jacob Stone was on a first name basis with that particular fatigue. At one time, he actually believed that working on an oil rig was possibly the most tiring job on Planet Earth. But that was before Jake became a Librarian. This thought made him grin wryly. Just the word "librarian" virtually poured a flood of images into the mind. Such images included dusty stacks of books monitored by gray haired spinsters who commanded a desk covered in filing cards which they shuffled importantly when not called upon to shush offending patrons who had the effrontery to raise their voices above a whisper. Ah, well. Jacob Stone was no gray haired spinster. But then, his library was not filled with dusty books, either. Oh, technically it was, he thought, but that certainly wasn't all it held. The Library where Jake worked was deep beneath the Metropolitan Library and held wonders from around the world and throughout history. It held artifacts without price and devices with magical properties. It housed things of unimaginable beauty and things capable of senseless cruelty. It was vast (who knew just how vast as Jake had still not seen it all), and seemed to have a presence, an innate intelligence of its own. It was more ancient than history could tell. And it was overseen-no, Jake mused, it was not overseen….it was assisted by the Librarians. Such assistance might include anything from vanquishing a vampire to holding court with a dragon king. Containing harmful artifacts and stopping villains was tough work. Yes, Jake thought, working on an oil rig no longer earned his vote for Most Exhausting Job on Planet Earth. But then again, what he was doing now wasn't technically on Planet Earth. No, what he was doing now was holding up Planet Earth. And, he mused as the sweat ran down his torso and his teeth ground together in pain and frustration, when I get my hands on Atlas, he is going to consider resuming his hold on Earth as the absolute highlight of his day.

Earlier that day….

Cassandra had chosen her outfit with care. A soft fuzzy pink sweater complimented her red hair and perfectly matched the floral pattern in her short flared skirt. White tights and pink ankle boots completed the ensemble. Cassie liked bright colors. They cheered her and today she was in need of some cheer. She had slept badly the night before. The headache was worse than usual and her limbs had felt twitchy. Her cancer was diagnosed when she was just 15 years old. The tumor was inoperable and Cassie had already outlived the expectations of her oncologist. Cassandra's parents had held such high hopes of a remarkable future for their brilliant daughter, a girl who's mastery of mathematics and science as a small child was renown. The diagnosis of terminal brain cancer dashed those aspirations. It left her parents shattered, though more for the loss of Cassie's future than for Cassie herself. Never actually comfortable in the parental role, her scientist father and physicist mother withdrew from their disappointment- and from Cassie- by immersing themselves in their work and each other. Cassie had long ago resigned herself to living alone with her fears and her failure. The defeat she would suffer at the end of her battle with cancer felt inevitable and at some point Cassie has stopped fighting, had indeed stopped feeling that the fight was worth it. Then there came the day when the Library chose her. She could not imagine why the Library would want such a damaged person, a girl with a ticking time bomb in her frontal lobe. A girl who, at any random time could be immobilized by pain or lose herself completely in visions or sounds. But for whatever reason, the Library had chosen her, had brought her here to this amazing place, had shown her incredible wonders and had introduced her to these crazy, wonderful, astounding people. For the first time in many years, Cassie felt that she had value and that her life was worth living. This was a cruel kindness since she doubted that she had much time left to enjoy this new life as a Librarian. So, yes. Today she was in need of some cheer.

Later that day, Cassie had reason to regret that she did not limit her quest for cheer with her bright attire. She really should have left that book alone.

Ezekiel Jones prided himself on his stealth. Stealthiness was an essential skill for any successful thief but Ezekiel knew that his abilities were superior. His slight build was limber, allowing him to step silently and slide effortlessly through small spaces. His hearing was acute, his eyesight perfect and his sense of awareness so finely tuned, that he could traverse even a crowded area virtually unnoticed if he chose to do so. And he generally did choose to do so as he knew that his finely honed skills required practice to maintain. Rather than allow his precious talent to decay, Ezekiel made stealth a way of life. Unlike his associate Jake, who's booted tread could be heard a block away by a granny with a dead battery in her hearing aid, Ezekiel's steps were always soundless. One would think that his associates would be used to that by now. Given the decibel level of Cassandra's scream when he leaned over her shoulder to get a better look at that interesting book, it would seem that this was not so.

"Ezekiel! Don't DO that!" she cried as she shot to her feet and whirled to face him in one frantic motion.

Replacing his smirk with what he imagined was a look of concern, he replied "Do what?"

"You know what! Stop sneaking up on me!"

"Me? Sneaking? I have no idea what you mean." Ezekiel, though amused, idly thought that sneaking up on Cassandra wasn't all that bad of an idea. It did seem to bring some much needed color to her pale cheeks. "Just because my foot steps don't sound like….wait for it…yup, and there it is…the thundering of Leadfoot Stone's steel toed work boots, doesn't mean that I was sneaking…."

"I heard a scream!" Jake exclaimed as he skidded to a stop.

"No worries, Mate. Cass was just a bit startled, you know, being as she was so engrossed in that very intriguing book. Is that real gold leafing?"

"Don't touch it! Seriously Ezekiel, don't!" Cassie cried, trying fruitlessly to put herself between Ezekiel and the book.

"Ah, jewels. Those are real jewels imbedded in the cover!"

"Ezekiel, please! Don't!"

"STOP! Both of you. Just stop!" Jake's voice thundered out louder than his aforementioned boots. "Have you any idea how old that book is? How valuable? It's in pristine condition and it's priceless. That is not a toy, Ezekiel. Cassie, where did you get this? And don't tell me it was just in the stacks."

Cassie gave some thought to weaving a good lie, but Jake's dark blue eyes were flashing with annoyance and Ezekiel was grinning widely in anticipation of her clumsy falsehood. Hanging her head in defeat, she confessed. "I just wanted a better look at it. It was in the glass case…in the Greek Room. And I have always loved Greek mythology."

"Seriously, Cass? Seriously? You took a priceless, antique and probably magical book from a display case? What were you thinking?"

"Lighten up, Mate" Ezekiel interrupted Jake's tirade more to annoy Jake than to defend Cassandra. "This is a library, right? She's just reading a book. No harm, no foul."

"Well, I wouldn't rule out the harm part just yet," Jake growled "Wait until Jenkins finds out."

"I'll put it back now. He won't even know." Cassie's crestfallen face, unusually pale and fragile looking, broke Jake's resolve and even tugged on Ezekiel's heart (though he would never admit it).

Feeling guilty over his outburst, Jake mumbled "It is actually an amazing specimen." He was rewarded with a sunny smile from Cassie as she excitedly opened the book.

"Yes! It's incredible! The artwork is breathtaking! Just look at this illustration of Atlas holding up the world! It seems so real you feel like you could reach out and touch him!"

"It does" agreed Ezekiel as he reached out to run his fingers over the gold leafed pages.

"Don't touch that," snarled Jake, lunging to swat Ezekiel's hand.

Ever the limber thief with lightning fast reflexes, Ezekiel dodged Jake's swipe, deftly stepping away from the book. Jake halted his forward momentum just before crashing into the table but not well enough to prevent his own fingers from lightly sweeping across the gilded page.

A sudden blinding flash illuminated the room. Cassandra heard a whooshing sound and felt as if the air had been sucked from her lungs as she fell to the floor. She saw Ezekiel fall just as she squeezed her eyes shut to block the painful brightness. The light penetrated her eyelids and seemed to pierce her already pounding head.

Abruptly, the light and sound ceased.

"Cass? Cass? Can you hear me?"

She slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on the blurry face of Ezekiel above her. " Gimme a minute " she slurred "Head hurts".

"Cass. You gotta wake up Cass. It's Jake. He's…gone."


	2. Chapter 2, A Titanic Tale

Author's Note- I think I am supposed to do a disclaimer here- I don't own the Librarians or the characters, make no profit, etc. Forgot to do that for chapter 1….ooops.

Chapter 2, A Titanic Tale

It was time for a new mattress. This one was hard as a rock. It was a wonder he got any sleep at all, particularly with the sunlight so bright. Wait, sunlight? Crap. I must be late for work Jake thought. He groaned and tried to sit up. Hangover. Must have really partied last night to have this mother of a hangover today. He felt like steel drums were pounding in his brain. Perhaps another hour of sleep would help. Jake rolled over onto his belly to avoid the sunlight that was sending sharp spikes of pain into his retina. He took a deep slow breath and cautiously opened his eyes. Rock. Is that rock? When a puzzle perplexed him, Jake itemized known data points. I am lying on rock, I am outside, the sun is up, and I have a huge hangover. Analysis complete. But his fuzzy mind still refused to offer up an explanation. He rested his pounding head on the rocky ground and debated the wisdom of trying to get up again.

"Mortal, are you planning to just lie there all day?"

Jake jerked his head up at the sound of that low rumbling baritone of a voice. More steel drums crashed in his skull. Slowly, he rolled over and looked up. At first, his mind was blank. His brain simply refused to process the image that was clearly not real though his eyes kept telling him otherwise. It was a large man. Very large. Tall, broad and muscular. Very muscular. Jake haad seen tree trunks with less girth than this creature's biceps. Though he knelt on one knee, he towered over Jake. His chest was bare, his midriff wrapped in a loincloth. His hair and beard were long and flowing. He stared down at Jake with intense silvery gray eyes. But most disconcerting of all, his thick muscular arms held the earth aloft, balanced on his shoulders.

"You…are…wrong…" muttered Jake.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're wrong. I must be dreaming. That's it. This is just a dream." Jake eased himself into a sitting position and waited for his head to stop spinning.

"How so?"

"What?"

"How am I wrong?"

"Well, you're Atlas, right?"

"Indeed. And you are…?"

"Jake…Jacob Stone. I am a…Librarian."

"Ah, I see. I know of this though I doubted those tales. Proceed, Mortal. How am I wrong?"

"Well, for hundreds of years, it has been common practice for artists to portray Atlas holding the planet on his shoulders but in actuality, it was the heavens that Atlas held up. And… I can't believe I am talking to a dream."

Jake closed his eyes, took several cleansing breaths, cleared his mind and looked again. Nope, that didn't work. Big dude was still there.

"I see. So, you perceive me as wrong."

"Well, Art History is kinda my thing, so yes. Dude, you are all wrong with that holding the planet thing."

"There, you have your answer then."

"Huh?"

"Librarian, you entered here through an image in a book, correct?"

Jake delved through his last murky memories. A scream. A rare, precious book. Cassandra pointing, Ezekiel grabbing. Crap, I'm not dreaming?

"Ah, apparently."

"And this book was housed in The Library?"

"Well, yes."

"Then it stands to reason that the book was magical, does it not?"

"Well, um, yeah."

"Thus, in truth, it is not I who is wrong. I am as I was portrayed. It was the artist who was wrong."

"So, a magical artist draws a magical picture of a Greek god in…"

"Titan!" the giant roared. "I am a Titan! Do not confuse me with those self-absorbed, spoiled children who placed this burden upon me!"

Ok. I hit a nerve there, thought Jake. "Sorry. Yeah, sorry. So, artist, picture, magic book. Right? I get it. Ok, then. Perhaps you can tell me- how exactly do I get back to The Library?"

"You are not very clever for a Librarian. I expected better."

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Jake snarled "Gee, sorry to disappoint the mythical Titan! The next time I chat with a make believe character from an ancient fairy tale, I will try to sound more intelligent!"

Atlas chuckled and the hapless Earth shuddered as the Titan's shoulders shook with mirth.

"You really don't understand, do you?"

"What? What don't I understand? That a myth just called me stupid?" Jake sputtered. "You are not even real, you are just a story and you are not even portrayed correctly. I can't waste any more time talking to you. I need to find the way back." Jake leaped to his feet and turned to leave.

Atlas grinned broadly. "And that is exactly what you don't understand, Librarian. In this realm…you are the myth."

Stunned, Jake stopped. The concept that he might be the one who wasn't real was a sobering and disconcerting thought.

"I'm a…myth to you?"

"Indeed. You, The Library. Galeas. The mathematician, the thief, the guardian. And Flynn. Myths all. Entertaining, yes. Real, no."

"Ok. Ok. Sorry I got a little hot about it. You are…apparently right. I am not very clever about this. So, tell me. How do I get back?"

"Obviously, you will need the book."

"How is that obvious? I am here and the Greek book is back in The Library."

Atlas sighed. "The mythology book. You need the mythology book."

"Which is back in The Library!" Jake fumed.

Sadly shaking his head at Jake's inferior intellect, Atlas explained. "The Library houses a magical book that is a record of my history and that of my peers. It is fact. It is my reality. What you need is the book of mythology, OUR book of mythology. Our magical book tells the fictional tales of The Library and the Librarians who attend it."

"Another book? Of course. That makes sense. It's disturbing to think I am one of the myths, but it makes sense…sorta. How do I find this book?"

"You do not. It is in the home of Zeus…a powerful god who will not relinquish a cherished possession to the likes of you, Mortal."

"I have to try. Tell me how to find him. Please."

"You will fail. You cannot convince him, you cannot defeat him. You are a mere mortal."

"There must be a way. This isn't my world, Atlas. It's not my reality. I need to get home."

"There is a way. One way only. I could get it for you. I am a match for his prowess."

Jake felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. This was not going to end well.

"You are holding up the world. How could you fight Zeus?" Jake asked, feeling that he already knew the answer.

The titan smiled. "Well, clearly you would need to do this for me while I was helping you".

"I see. And how would that be possible? I am no Titan."

"You are a magical construct. As such, you could hold up the world."

"Well, if that is the case, as a magical construct, I should be capable of becoming a fierce warrior who could defeat Zeus."

"And how would THAT be possible, Librarian? We are at the end of the universe. How would you find Zeus? By creating a magical compass? How would you get to Zeus? By creating a magical ship? How would you fight Zeus? By creating a magical weapon? That is a lot of magic, Jacob Stone, and you are no magician. It would take you countless centuries to master such magic, if indeed you could. And yet again I must remind you that you are mortal."

"But you claim that I could hold up the world."

"Yes," the titan answered simply. "Because that is my magic."

Jacob sighed. He could not fault the logic, though he knew this to be a deadly trap. "Tell me, Atlas. Why would you do this for me?"

"I would not" the Atlas answered honestly. "Not for you. But Zeus has jailed my brother in a cruel prison where he is tortured each day. I must free him. My own fate means nothing. It is my brother only that I care for. Do this for me and once I have freed my brother, I will procure the book and return to you. I would ask just 4 hours from you. That would be all I needed to complete both tasks."

"And how could I be sure you would return?"

"You have my word, Librarian. You have the word of a Titan."

Jake slowly shook his head. "I would be a gullible fool with no other options to trust you."

Atlas smiled. "Indeed, you are not as clever as I imagined a Librarian to be. However, you are no fool and I see no other options for you. Do we have a deal?"

Jake raised his head to look the Titan directly in those steely gray eyes, and replied.

"No, Atlas. Absolutely not."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note; I do not own characters, I make no profit, and I am eternally grateful to Valawenal for her assistance, tutelage, and unflagging support.

The Librarians and the Book of Myths

Chapter 3, A Swooshy Kinda Boom

Cassie's ears were ringing and spots danced in front of her eyes. As her vision slowly cleared, she tried to focus on Ezekiel as he helped her to her shaky feet. What just happened? What had he just said about Jake? And where was Jake?

"Ok, getting you up was maybe not such a brilliant idea. Here…" Ezekiel slid a chair towards her. "You should sit down."

"Yeah, maybe." She gratefully collapsed into the seat. "It's ok. This happens sometimes. I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"This _happens_ sometimes? This happens?" Ezekiel's incredulous exclamation startled and confused her further. "What….books explode around you on a regular basis?"

Alarmed, Cassie quickly scanned the table. The mythology book, in all of its splendor, sat innocently on the table- unmarred (and definitely not exploded). She looked back to Ezekiel questioningly, but her words were cut short by a bellowing roar.

"What…have…you…done?" Jenkins, in full Jenkins-mode, stormed into the room with flushed cheeks and fire in his eye. Cassandra cringed as his shout brought her headache back to full throttle.

"Nothing. Nothing. I just had a spell, that's all. Please stop yelling."

"Um…Cass…about that spell thing..." Ezekiel mumbled.

Eve swept into the room with her usual grace and efficiency. "Easy, Jenkins. Nothing looks broken, including Cassandra and Jones." Col. Eve Baird, was officially the Guardian of the group, a decorated government trained specialist who provided protection and security for The Library's most vulnerable assistants. She was tall, blond and stunning, which tended to fool her adversaries into underestimating her- a mistake Cassandra knew that no one had ever made twice. Despite her unique and deadly skill set, Eve found herself, more often than not, in the reluctant role of peacemaker. Cassie noted the silent eye roll as Eve mentally prepared to smooth some ruffled feathers.

"Oi…listen…the book…Jake…." Ezekiel said, his distress accentuating his already prominent Australian accent.

Jenkins whirled on Baird and sneered in a haughty tone, "And of course you would know, Col. Baird, if any of the priceless, mystical objects in this room were damaged, because you are an expert on such precious artifacts. Because _you_ have been their caretaker for hundreds of years! Oh, wait…I believe that was actually me!"

"Guys, you really need to listen…" Once again, Ezekiel tried in vain to capture their attention.

"Jenkins," Eve said soothingly "Look around. All your precious toys look just fine. Now, if we can all just settle down, perhaps Jones can tell us what that blasting sound was. And then I really think we need to get Cassandra into a bed. Looks like whatever thing she had took a lot out of her."

"It wasn't a spell…."

"It was just a spell…"

"My...my... _toys_?"

Ezekiel and Cassandra spoke simultaneously, as Jenkins sputtered in disbelief.

"Listen. Just listen. Oi, you people, stop and listen…Jake just…"

"Jenkins, enough. We will sort all this out later. Look at Cassandra, just look at her! She needs rest. Help me get her up." Eve clearly had had her fill of the theatrics. "Yeah, the children got into some kind of mischief. But nothing is broken, so just get over it. Help me with Cassandra. Ezekiel, go get a wet cloth and a glass of water. Jake, go….damn it, where is Jake, anyway?"

"I've been trying to tell you…"

"Perhaps Mr. Stone has enough maturity to know better than to play with my **toys**." Jenkins grumbled.

"Wait." Cassie blurted out "Wait. Where is Jake? He was just here, wasn't he? Did I imagine that?"

Ezekiel groaned and said "Jake just touched the book and then Cassie and I ..."

"Easy, Cassandra." Eve said, "Just relax. You will feel better after you get some rest. Come on, Honey. Let's get you out of here." Eve spoke kindly as she and a clearly annoyed Jenkins assisted Cassie towards the door."

Jones waved his arms back and forth in the air. "Ok. Ok, people. You just go ahead and ignore me! We'll just see if you get interested when the book jumps up and eats you! Don't expect me to help you out because it's not like I am important. I mean, I am not even important enough to listen to. Like, I am not even here, right? Yeah, Jones is just a ghost or something because it's clear that no one can see or hear me. Wait…you _can_ see and hear me, right? I'm not dead? Seriously? Am I dead?"

"Jones," Eve said with a heavy sigh, "What on earth are you babbling about? And where is Stone? We could really use his help, since you are so self-absorbed today."

Generally more unflappable, Ezekiel uncharacteristically lost his composure. Waving his arms, hopping from foot to foot, and in a high squeaky voice, he raved " _Gone_! Stone is gone! Gone, gone, gone! He touched the stupid book and there was a big bright flash and a swooshy kinda boom and then _poof_ , Jake was like, gone."

"What? Seriously, Jones? And you didn't _tell_ us? What were you thinking?" Eve scolded.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Against her express wishes, Cassie was tucked into bed by Eve, in an adjoining room which was chiefly used for medical treatments when needed. Her protests ignored, Cassie planned on sneaking out once they were otherwise occupied. She rested her head on the pillow to wait for her opportunity but soon lost her battle with fatigue and fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

In the adjoining room, the others spoke quietly. Eve had herded the men back to the table and asked Ezekiel to explain, in detail, about Jake's disappearance. Eve and Jenkins gazed at the mythology book as Ezekiel completed his tale.

"You say he just touched it?" Eve asked.

Ezekiel replied "Yes. Just barely grazed his fingers across the page. There was no 'abracadabra', no magic wands, no genie's lamp…"

"It's never the genie's lamp." Jenkins interjected.

"Whatever" Ezekiel sniped back.

"Boys, please. Let's focus. Your thoughts on this, Jenkins?"

Gazing at the ceiling in concentration, Jenkins mentally tallied the various possibilities. "Well, the book could be cursed. A garden variety curse could do this. Or perhaps the book functions as our back door does, teleporting to other locations. It could be a hide-and-seek enchantment that renders a person invisible, but I would think that Mr. Stone would have found a way to make his presence known by now if that were the case. And of course, we don't know that the book was involved at all. There are many magical objects in this library and we have many enemies who might be manipulating them."

"Well, great." Eve snapped impatiently, "That really narrows it down."

"You have more useful thoughts, Col. Baird? Please do share."

"It's not my job to know about artifacts, Jenkins. It's my job to protect. It's just too bad that we don't have someone who has been a caretaker of these objects for hundreds of years. Oh, wait…isn't that _you_?" she replied sarcastically.

"Helloooo…!" Ezekiel interrupted their tirade. "I have a thought about this book that I would like to share…you know, if I had anyone...anyone at all… who would actually listen to me!"

"Oh, please Mr. Jones. Do tell us _your_ thought. I am sure that it will be most enlightening, given your extensive knowledge of magic, and of books, and of Greek Mythology and well, of anything." huffed Jenkins.

Narrowing his eyes, Ezekiel speared Jenkins with a steely look. "Well, mate. I admit that magic and books are not my specialty. And truthfully, I know very little about Greek mythology. But…" he said as he pointed to the illustration on the open page of the book. His hand stood motionless. Eve and Jenkins looked at the hand, then slowly lowered their eyes to the illustration he was pointing at.

Ezekiel's voice, when he spoke again, was almost a whisper. "And do correct me if I am wrong, but should Atlas be wearing a flannel shirt, jeans and steel toed work boots?"


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note- Don't own it, wish I did. Not making any profit. And lots and lots and lots of thanks go out to my beta Valawenel, whose expertise and generosity are unparalleled. (UG! I am struggling with the Review program on Word- sorry, folks! Had to edit and re-post).

Chapter 4, Carron's Couplet

"Oh, this is not good. No, not good at all." Eve shook her head slowly as they all gazed at the illustration.

"This is _so_ not good," Ezekiel agreed. "Any chance that it's not Jake in there?"

"Carron's Couplet." Jenkins said . "I should have guessed."

Eve and Ezekiel stared at him in confusion.

"Yes. Carron's Couplet." Jenkins repeated, with authority this time. "Well, technically it's one half of a couplet. Let's go wake Ms. Cillion. We need to talk."

.

.

.

Cassandra, still more pale than anyone was comfortable with, insisted that the brief nap had helped enormously. She sat quietly next to Ezekiel and across from Eve. Ezekiel noted the dark circles under her eyes and wondered if it was too late to coax her back to bed. Of course it was, he thought. Cassie would never just walk away from this. She felt responsible. Ezekiel didn't agree but he knew that nothing he could say would deter her.

The focus of their attention, the mythology book, sat innocently on the center of the table between them. All eyes were fixed on Jenkins as he stood at the head of the table speaking in, what Ezekiel referred to as his teaching voice (when he wasn't referring to it as his snotty-better-than-thou voice).

"Alexander Carron. A talented writer, artist and story teller. He lived many hundreds of years ago in a small village in England. As the tale goes, his stories were so wonderful that people traveled for miles to hear him speak. They claimed that his stories were so well told that the listener could actually see and hear the characters. In hindsight, it is likely that Carron was a wizard of sorts and it was magic that made his stories so riveting, though it is not entirely clear whether he knew he had a magical ability"..

"Ah, I think we know where this is going," Ezezekiel said.

Jenkins shrugged and continued. "Anyway, against the advice of his neighbors and friends, Carron purchased a horse which was both strong and beautiful, though very wild. Carron was certain he could break the horse. One day, while working with the animal, it became spooked and broke free. As it galloped wildly though the village, it trampled a neighbor 's child, a young boy that Carron was very fond of. The child was critically injured and near death. Carron sat vigil at his bedside all day and all night, and told wonderful stories to ease the boy's pain."

"Did the child live?" Cassie asked hopefully.

"Well, yes and no." Jenkins said. "Sadly, the child succumbed to his injuries and died the next morning. Carron was devastated. Mourning the loss, he went home and wrote a beautiful story about the boy. In this story, he wrote that the child survived the accident, grew up strong and brave, and had many children of his own. Thinking to ease the parent's grief, Carron brought the story to them as a gift. Imagine his surprise when he arrived to find the child alive and completely healed."

Cassie, who loved a happy ending, smiled and said. "The story healed him."

"Magic has a price." Ezekiel said.

Jenkins nodded at Ezekiel in approval. "This is so. The parents and villagers were overjoyed that the child was saved but it didn't take long before someone connected the story with the child's miraculous recovery. As you well know, magic has often been viewed with fear and prejudice throughout history. Though grateful that the child lived, the villagers became fearful and shunned Carron".

Eve winced. "Please don't tell me they burned him at the stake."

"No." Jenkins said. "For some time, he lived completely alone, ostracized by his friends and neighbors. He comforted himself by writing a book about a wondrous magical realm. It is believed that his sadness and longing manifested in the book as magic. As he finished writing the last word of the book, there was a blinding flash of light and the sound of a furious wind, and Carron vanished."

"Well, that part sounds familiar!" Ezekiel exclaimed.

Eve hushed Ezekiel with one of her classic glares. "Please continue, Jenkins".

"Carron found himself in the magical realm that he had created. He spent many years living there in relative content, but there came a time when he yearned for his own world. So, he wrote himself a book about home. In this book, he was living happily in his village where his friends and neighbors still loved him, and where the accident never happened. "

"Did it work?" Cassie asked softly.

"Yes. It did."

Cassie looked hopefully at Jenkins and asked, "So, he got to live out his life at home and happy?"

Jenkins pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Perhaps he did. Some versions of this tale say that."

"And the other versions?" Eve inquired.

"Many insist that Carron didn't stop with those two books. It has been said that he wrote others. And that each time he visited a land he created in his book, he would later write a second book that would bring him home, a slightly different version of home- a different time or situation, as no two books were alike. Each pair of books was called a couplet. Each book could transport him to the other land. But just that other time and place, no where else. Each book worked only with its companion book. And the two books in a couplet could never be together because each would always be left behind in the other world. I believe this to be one of Carron's couplet books."

Eve snorted. "Come on, Jenkins! You are asking me to believe that this Carron guy single handedly invented Greek mythology? How likely is that?"

Staring down his nose at her, Jenkins huffed. "You worked a shift for Santa Claus, Col. Baird. How likely was that?"

"Point taken."

Ezekiel stood and silently paced. "Nice story, Jenkins, but can we cut to the chase? How does this help us get Stone back?"

"It seems obvious. Jake needs to find the other book." Cassandra said.

"And do what with it exactly? I mean, how did this happen anyway? Cass touched the book and she didn't disappear." Ezekiel pointed out.

Jenkins nodded. "Good observation, Mr. Jones. I would theorize that triggering the book is linked with a strong emotion. For Carron, it was yearning. He wanted something. What, if anything, did Mr. Stone want?"

Cassandra looked blank but Ezekiel grinned. "Well, he very much wanted me to not touch that precious book!"

Looking relieved, Cassandra smiled. "That's it then! Easy! I really want Jake back so I will just touch the book."

" _Easy_?" Eve and Ezekiel exclaimed in unison. (Nothing about The Library was ever easy).

"It doesn't work that way, Ms. Cillian. He would need to touch the companion book himself. You can't use this to summon him home." Jenkins said.

"Then I will touch the book and go there to help him," Cassie declared.

"Absolutely not." Eve firmly vetoed the plan. It's too dangerous. I will go."

"Then take me with you. This is all my fault. I need to make it right. We'll all go, right Ezekiel?"

No, no, no, Ezekiel thought, no way. Forget it. How did I ever get mixed up with these insane people? I am going to get myself killed working with these lunatics. I am a thief, not a hero. I am so outta here, he thought as his lips inexplicably said, "Sure. Count me in. Always wanted to see Greece."

"As much as I hate to disappoint you," Jenkins said dryly, "your plan is doomed to failure. In fact, your plan is more likely to kill you all at worst, or trap you in Ancient Greece forever at best. Though perhaps that would not be such a bad thing."

"Wow. Don't know about you ladies but I am really feeling the love."

Cassandra turned her most appealing look at him and pleaded "Jenkins, please. You need to help us. We can't just leave him there."

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Jenkins grunted, shrugged and replied., "I can try but the little knowledge I have of Carron's couplets is anecdotal and may not be entirely correct."

"Understood." With her usual brisk efficiency, Eve commandeered the meeting. "We will need a plan, and it needs to be soon as we don't know how long Jake will last in his current…ah…situation. Jenkins, tell us everything you know and everything you've heard about these books."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note- don't own characters and make no profit. Apologies again- still struggling with computer. I make revisions and fix typos but all the errors mysteriously return! Oh, and my author note mysteriously disappears. This re-posted version was done on my iPad. If it works, we will all now know that my computer needs to be housed in a lead box somewhere in the Library.

Many thanks to my beta, Valawenel, who is most assuredly not responsible for any typos!

Chapter 5, Let's Do This

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"Absolutely not. Ain't gonna happen,." Jake said with a slight drawl that hinted at his Oklahoma origins.

Atlas chuckled. "Mortal, you amuse me. I shall miss this entertainment when your short existence comes to an end."

"Glad to be of service," Jake replied wryly. "but I think you will be missing me sooner 'cause I don't plan to be here for much longer."

"Indeed? Do explain. How do you plan to return to your world without my assistance?"

"I figure that by now, my associates will have realized what has happened and will be coming for me."

"Ah well. That will be nice for us to have their company, because they too will be trapped here," Atlas said with an undeniably smug tone.. "Are they as amusing as you? Will Galeas- or as you call him- _Jenkins_ be coming? I would very much enjoy spending a few millennia with him."

Shocked into silence, Jake realized that Atlas was right. His associates…no, his friends, would also be trapped when they attempted to rescue him. And Jake knew for certain that they would make that attempt if something wasn't done to stop them. They would come, just as Jake would for any of them. And when did this happen? When did it all change? When did these people become important to him? When did he become important to them? How did all this craziness happen?

Just one year ago, Jake was foreman at his daddy's oil rig, busting his chops by day and busting heads in the local bar by night. He lived a simple life, a normal life completely free of magic, monsters and mayhem. He kept his interest in Art History -and his sharp intelligence- to himself. His intellectual pursuits would not be something his father or brothers would understand or accept. There was no room in an oil man's life for what his daddy would call pure nonsense. The papers he wrote were published under a false identity. He had always kept that part of his life carefully hidden away, even from people he called friends. This little secret was the most interesting thing about his otherwise typical life.

Then one day an envelope arrived. It contained a creamy white card that was blank at first, but then somehow burst into script that which invited him to interview for the prestigious position of Librarian. Jake had been mystified by the invitation from the Library. Clearly it was not extended to him because of his skills as an oil man. But how could anyone have known his secret? He had torn up the strange invitation and thrown away the shreds. He would never have come to the Library had Eve not arrived looking for him - just ahead of a team of ninjas bent on assassinating him.

Jake's thoughts were interrupted by the titan's baritone voice. "I have offered my services, mortal. Why do you hesitate? Do you not trust me?"

"Trust? Atlas, I would bet a basket of golden apples that you cannot be trusted."

"How dare you..." roared Atlas, "How dare you speak to a Titan in this manner? That you, a mere mortal should doubt me in this way? It is unacceptable!"

Jake peered up at Atlas with speculation, and idly wondered if parts of the world were experiencing earth quakes due to this trembling rage. After a thoughtful pause, he said, "I apologize, Atlas. Please forgive my impudence. I can only blame my poor behavior on my fear."

Mollified by the apology, Atlas responded in a calmer tone. "Fear? What do you fear precisely?"

"Well, of course I fear that I will not be strong enough to hold up the earth. I mean, I am strong for a human but I am no Hercules," Jake said while carefully observing the titan's reaction.

"Who?"

"Hercules. You know, big strong guy- son of Zeus and Alcmene?"

"Zeus has many children. I do not know of this one."

"Well. No matter. Atlas, if we do this, I would need your promise, your oath that you will do as you say. Say it, Atlas. Swear on your brother's life that you will return here with the book."

Atlas gazed at Jake steadily. After what felt like an eternity to Jake, Atlas smiled slightly and declared, "Jacob Stone, I swear on my brother's life that I will return here with the book you seek."

"Ok, then. Let's do this."

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The Library could move. This, of course, was a very big undertaking which was not entered into lightly. But under duress, the Library could relocate itself to another place or time or even dimension. Once the threat was resolved, the Library would return. In order to do this, the Library required a connection, an anchor of sorts, to the place and time where it belonged. This connection was known as the Annex.

Jenkins had been serving as the caretaker of the Annex for more years than anyone could remember, and more than Jenkins cared to remember. The Annex was ancient, but then, so was Jenkins. He was born Galeas, though over his very long existence, he had been known by many names. Librarians, wizards and other magical creatures presumed that he was immortal. This was not the case. Though the process took far longer than the life span of a typical human, Jenkins did, in fact, age.

Today he was feeling that age.

His bones ached from within. There were lines on his face and his hair had turned gray since the days he was known as Sir Galahad. His life in the Annex suited him. For hundreds of years, he led a solitary existence of study and research. Other than an occasional brief visit from a Librarian, he spent his days alone. He was content with this quiet life, having discovered that living for such a long time could lead one to be disappointed in mankind.

The first indication that his peace was about to be shattered had been the arrival of newly appointed Librarian, Flynn Carsen.

Flynn Carsen was brilliant. Jenkins had never met anyone quite like him. He admired Flynn's keen intelligence so much that his puppy dog exuberance was almost tolerable. And Jenkins did have to admit that despite his private contention that Flynn would come to an early -and probably spectacular- end, this newest Librarian had proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with.

Fortunately Flynn's visits to the Annex were few and far between, leaving Jenkins to enjoy his solitude most of the time. But of course, that was _before_. Solitude was _before_. Peacefulness was _before_. Quiet was _before_. It was all _before_ a particularly nasty attack was waged against the Library which resulted in the abrupt disappearance of the Library from this world and the equally abrupt appearance of Flynn in the Annex with a new Guardian and three very green Librarians in Training.

Three. Not one, not two, but three very noisy, very inexperienced, very annoying Librarians in Training were now annoyingly and noisily underfoot.

As far as Jenkins knew-and he knew quite a lot- there had never before been more than one Librarian at a time. It was always one Librarian and one Guardian. But this…this chaotic group of mismatched individuals bickering and competing and disrupting his cherished solitude was almost more than he could bear.

Jenkins did not like this situation at all. No, not a bit. Yes, he conceded to himself that Flynn had done wonders with their training. And Eve had made great progress with their defensive skills. And, he supposed, the trainees had proven their worth once or twice. Yes, they had demonstrated some potential. They were learning to work as a team. And sometimes, just on rare occasions, he was impressed by their fortitude and their rather creative solutions to some unique situations. But they were also undisciplined, brash and about as trustworthy as a basketful of kittens in a yarn store. Oh, and noisy. Very, very noisy. If Jenkins needed a reminder of how much he missed his solitude, this book fiasco would certainly do the trick.

Eve and two of her frustrating charges sat around the table looking at him expectantly. Setting aside his annoyance with one last scathing glare, Jenkins began his discourse. "In order for you to travel into the book, you must choose another chapter. To return, you will need the other half of the couplet…"

Cassandra raised her hand like a school child in class. "Why would we need to choose a different chapter? Why can't we just go where Jake is?"

"Because, Miss Cillian, the book was written by one man for one man. It is believed that the connection, the thread between the two worlds is delicate and can support one traveler only. If you use that same page, you run the risk of breaking the thread that links Mr. Stone to this world. You may strand him there permanently."

"But you believe we could use another chapter to go there?" Eve asked.

"It's a theory."

"Oh, a theory." Ezekiel muttered under his breath. "That's reassuring."

"The challenge," Jenkins said, "would be to find a way to reach the chapter Mr. Stone is in from the chapter that you are in. And that would be after you found a way to locate and retrieve the book. Oh, and one more thing- it is likely that you will only have one shot at this. Legend suggests that a person can only use the book once."

Cassandra stared at her folded hands in her lap. "It seems hopeless."

"Nothing is hopeless," Eve said briskly. "This is the Library and you are the Librarians. This is what we do. Let's get on with the plan. Jenkins, any suggestions for where to start?"

Jenkins had been carefully browsing through the book, using a pencil to turn the pages and wearing a blank look. Lines of concentration etched into his face as he fought to keep his thoughts neutral and his emotions in check while in contact with the book.

"I believe, Col. Baird, that this chapter on Athena may do the trick," Jenkins said.

"How so? " Eve asked.

Jenkins shifted in his seat and gazed up at the ceiling as he shared his thoughts. "As legend goes, Athena was the favorite child of Zeus. She was unique in that she had no mother, but rather sprung spontaneously from Zeus' forehead, fully grown and clad in armor. It was said that her bond with Zeus was strong, and that having come from his mind, she shared his love for intellectual pursuits. There is a story in which she gave him a gift that pleased him more than any other thing he had ever owned. It was a gift he treasured greatly, a book filled with magical tales that completely captured the attention of the reader. One might theorize that this wondrous gift could well have been a Carron's couplet book, the couplet book that mates with this one."

"Got it," Eve said. "I need to get this book from the mythical goddess of warfare and find a way to get it to Jake who is somewhere near the end of the universe holding a planet on his shoulders and then use it to get us both home safely. No sweat."

Cassandra looked appeared worried. Ezekiel appeared calm, though Jenkins could see his knuckles whitening as they gripped the table. Eve looked as she always looked- somehow both resigned and yet ready for a challenge.

Ezekiel broke the tension, aiming a snarky quip at Eve. "Athena, who? I thought that _you_ were the goddess of warfare."

Tension broken and sheepish grins all around, Jenkins noticed. Ezekiel's mission accomplished.

"Ok, people." Eve commanded with authority. "Let's do this!"

"Oh, wait. Wait," Ezekiel said. "I think that Cassie, Jenkins and I should leave the room before you do this. It wasn't a particularly pleasant experience for us when Jake did it." Ezekiel tilted his head slightly in Cassie's direction. The message was not lost on Eve or Jenkins.

Jenkins stood suddenly, nodding in agreement. "Excellent thought, Mr. Jones. Let's go Ms. Cillian. Out, out, out, both of you." And turning back to face Eve as he herded the others out, he said in a lowered voice, "You know what to do, Col Baird? You will need a strong emotion to activate the page. You know that you and Mr. Stone cannot both use the same chapter to return? You know-"

"Yes, Jenkins," Eve interrupted. "I _know_."

As Jenkins ushered them out of the room, he took one last look over his shoulder and saw Eve, eyes closed in concentration, reaching her fingers tentatively towards the book which was open to a stunning illustration of a beautiful, mythical warrior goddess, who actually did remind him of Eve. Once the door was closed, they each rested against the wall of the hallway, nervously waiting. After only moments, they heard the big swooshy boom and felt the floors and walls tremble as a spear of brilliant light flashed under the door.

Cassandra was still wobbly and Jenkins not as young as he used to be, so Ezekiel with his quick and agile steps was back through the door well ahead of the others.

"Oh, no."

"What? What?" Cassie said as she stumbled to an abrupt halt behind him.

"It didn't work. She's still here." Ezekiel said with disgust. "Now, what?"

Eve sat exactly where she was when they left her, but now looking off into the distance, with a unfocused eyes and a blank expression on her face.

Jenkins strode forward. "Col. Baird, did you feel a strong emotion when you touched it? You did touch it, correct? Did you experience anything? Col. Baird? Eve?" Jenkins lowered his voice. "Eve. Are you ok?"

"Eve! Eve!" Cassandra's distress was palpable as she grabbed Eve's shoulders and gently shook her.

"I'm fine. Its ok, honey, I'm fine," Eve said reassuringly as focus returned to her gaze.

"Ah," Jenkins breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, we apparently need to work some more on the logistics of this. Perhaps some more research will shed light on what went wrong and you can try again."

Eve shook her head sadly. "Sorry, no. Trying again won't work."

"Why?" Cassie asked.

"Because Jenkins was right," Eve said. "You can only do it once and I already have."

This shocked everyone into silence. Jenkins saw that something was indeed different. Eve still looked resigned but no longer looked ready for any challenge. He felt a nagging sense of trepidation. Eve finally looked up at the group and spoke.

"I returned six months ago."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, Eve and the Goddess of Warfare

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There was a stunned silence in the room closely followed by a cacophony of voices.

"What?

"How could that be?"

"Surely you are mistaken."

Eve waved for their attention. "Settle down. Let me explain."

"Please do, Col. Baird," Jenkins said. "Start by explaining how you came back six months ago."

"Well, I am sure there is no chapter in that other book that relates the exciting tale of how the four of us sat around this table trying to figure this all out, so it's not as if I could come back to this moment. I actually returned months ago, right in the middle of that skirmish with The Brotherhood. Right in the middle of the battle, actually."

"The fight with Dulaque?" Ezekiel asked. "The one where Lamia almost skewered you?"

"Yes, that's the one," Eve replied. "Funny thing about that injury…Lamia wasn't the one who gave it to me. I received that particular wound in an entirely different battle."

Cassandra raised both of her hands in the classic 'stop right there' position. "I think you have lost me. I am so confused. What other battle? And wait, if you came back six months ago then you knew about all this! You could have stopped it from happening!"

Eve sorted through her scrambled memories and tried to make sense of it all. "I didn't know." She protested feebly. "I mean, I did…but then I didn't. I knew everything for just a second and then I was fighting Dulaque and his crew, and I just didn't know anything about all this until just now. I can't explain it."

"I can," Jenkins said quietly. "This is called a time paradox. No one can be in a particular time twice. You were returned to this world in a time period that you were already existing in. When you arrived back, your two selves would immediately merge into one in order for the paradox to be corrected. In such a case, the strongest rules. The version of you that actually belonged in that time would have eclipsed the version of you that did not. And that is why you knew everything for only a moment before the memory was gone. An injury is stronger than health, so you got to keep that particular little souvenir. You have your memories back now because _now_ …is not _before_ …it is no longer a paradox."

"Ookaay," Ezekiel said. "We got that. Sorta. Maybe a little. Anyway, let's jump ahead to the good part. What happened in the book, Eve?"

"First, I need to state the obvious…" Eve hesitated. "I'm sorry. I failed."

Cassandra slid her hand across the table and laid it across Eve's as she softly murmured, "Its ok, Eve. We know you did your best."

Eve nodded, took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. "Thanks, Cassie. Okay. Okay. So, this is what happened…"

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The light was so bright that Eve worried that it would damage her retina. The last thought she had before passing out was that Ezekiel was right. It wasn't pleasant and it did sound like a swooshy kinda boom.

She woke on a cold slate floor. As she gathered her senses, she heard voices raised in anger. Using an intricately carved stone column to steady herself, Eve pulled herself to her feet and peered cautiously around the column. It appeared to be a large and very grand church of some sort. No, of course not, she corrected herself. This is a temple. Several young women in flowing toga-style dresses cowered in fear, as an argument raged before them. A lovely young girl wearing jewels in her hair and a haughty expression stood resolutely before a tall, striking woman with a commanding air. The woman wore full armor. A heavy sword was strapped to her back and she carried a bow. Her long black hair was held off her patrician face by a wreath of olive leaves.

In a petulant whine, the younger girl said, "I only speak the truth! You are just a jealous old crone. My beauty is far superior to yours. I am more beautiful than anyone and they should be building this temple for me! They should be worshiping me! I am much prettier than you!"

The goddess - for that was most assuredly what she was - spoke with anger and disgust. "Foolish child! You have no idea of what you speak! And for your sin of hubris, you must be punished!"

She turned to the handmaidens and with a flick of her hand commanded them to leave. Clearly terrified, they hastened to obey their mistress. When the room was empty, the goddess turned slowly back to the young woman. Pointing towards the girl, the goddess whispered a few soft words and there was another flash and boom that knocked Eve to her knees. Eve heard the girl screaming in horror.

Reaching out for the column once again, Eve stood shakily and peeked around it at the goddess just as another briefer flash of light blinded her. _Wow, what is with these people and the light shows, anyway?_ Eve tried to make sense of what she saw before the flash. Was that a bunch of snakes? _Damn_. _I hate snakes. Why does it have to be snakes_?

The goddess sighed. Clearly caught in her own thoughts, it took her a moment to realize that she was not alone. She slowly raised her head and looked directly at Eve's hiding place. In the absence of more lights, booms, screams and snakes, Eve was encouraged enough to come out from behind the column and step cautiously up to the goddess.

"You would be Athena, I presume."

"Yes, I am the goddess Athena, daughter of Zeus. And you would be?"

"My name is Eve Baird. I am…the Guardian for the Librarians." That always seemed like such a lame thing to say but somehow it inevitably seemed to work.

"The Guardian for the Librarians."

There was a moment of silence while Athena digested this. And then she laughed. Her laughter was like the sound of lovely church bells on a Sunday morning. Eve was so mesmerized by the sound of her laughter that she neglected to feel offended that she was the source of the humor.

"Oh, mortal! You have made me smile on a day that I thought no smiles would come. I honor your name, Eve Baird!"

"Yeah, thanks," Eve said carefully, "I could see that you were having a tough day. That girl was a bit cheeky, huh?"

"Hmmm. Medusa. Her foolish pride knew no bounds. It was necessary to exact a hefty penance upon her," Athena replied sadly.

"Medusa? That was Medusa? So, that was…a head full of snakes I saw?" Eve blurted out, her surprise overpowering her caution.

Athena looked at Eve sharply, her back ramrod straight and her jaw clenched. "You disapprove, Eve Baird?"

"Um, well no. I mean, she was obnoxious with all that 'I am prettier than you' crap, but maybe the punishment was… well, a bit harsh?"

"You do not understand. I had thought that you would. Here you stand, in my temple, fearlessly engaging me in debate. You are a warrior, Eve Baird. I am the goddess of warfare- I know another warrior when I see one. How do you fail to understand?" Athena gazed at Eve with something resembling regret.

Eve straightened and looked directly into Athena's eyes. What she saw there was strangely familiar. "Yes, Athena. You are correct. I too am a warrior. I beg your pardon for my thoughtless assumptions. Please tell me, how did Medusa anger you?"

"She was an embarrassment to us!"

Eve was startled by both Athena's words and her vehemence.

"I am the goddess of warfare, of defense! I protect. I fight. I kill, but only in defense of that which is important, that which is dear to me and those who cannot defend themselves. I am also the goddess of craft, arts and literature. Do you think that beauty should be valued above these things? Do you believe that they built this temple to honor my _beauty_?"

"No," Eve replied quietly. "I think they built this temple to honor your strength and courage."

"Thank you. But Medusa, that silly, silly girl thinks that a woman's value is measured by her beauty alone. Do you measure your own value with that ruler, Eve?"

"No…I…do…not," Eve said slowly but firmly.

Athena smiled. "I thought not."

"Ok, I get it. That little twit was giving us all a bad name and she totally deserved to have her hair turned into snakes. But, I have got to ask…that last little flash when she disappeared…did you…?"

"Kill her?" Athena said gently. "No, I did not. I sent her to live on an island with the gorgons.

They are all blind. She can do no harm to any innocents there."

Eve delved into her memories for the tale of Medusa, but no details came to her.

"Um, blind?" Eve asked.

"Oh, did I not mention that part? Medusa is now so ugly that anyone who gazes upon her will turn to stone. But the gorgons are blind, so she will not cause them harm. She will, at least, have company to live out her life with. The island is so remote that it is unlikely to be visited by anyone else."

"That was actually…kind of you. Merciful."

"I am not a monster, Eve."

"I know that, Athena. I also know that you are the goddess of wisdom, intellect and reason. And knowing this, I hope that you will help me."

Athena tilted her head in interest. "Speak."

"First, let me ask you something. When I told you I was the Guardian for the Librarians, you laughed. Why?"

"A silly joke. Who sent you with this tale? Hermes? It must be Hermes. He is the only one I have told about the Book of Myths. And of course, my brother is quite the prankster!"

"The Book of Myths?"

"Yes," Athena chuckled with that beautiful bell-toned sound. "The wonderful Book of Myths that tells the amazing stories of the Librarians! It is truly a treasure, this book! I have procured it as a gift for my father and asked my brother, the messenger Hermes, to deliver it for me. I should have known better than to tell him about it."

"Athena. I am Eve Baird."

"What nonsense is this?"

"I am Col. Eve Baird. I am the Guardian. And the Library is real. It just isn't real…here. The book can transport people. My colleague-my friend- Jake touched a page and was brought here to your world. I need to bring him home."

Athena studied Eve thoughtfully. "Can this be so? You do look like the picture."

"What picture?"

Athena reached behind a carved alter and brought out a glossy wooden box. Reaching within, she lifted a beautiful book, pages gilded and cover studded with precious jewels. She gently turned the delicate pages until she found the illustration she sought and held it aloft for Eve to see. "This picture."

Eve stood rigid in shock as she saw an illustration of a fierce battle. She could see a number of combatants but her attention was riveted on one. Standing in the foreground, bloodied from multiple injuries but steadfastly wielding a sword, was a figure that was unmistakably Eve.

"Yes," She replied in awe. "That does seem to be me."

Athena paused in thought and then nodded sagely. "How can I help you, fellow warrior, Guardian of the Librarians?"

Eve's grateful reply died on her lips as two of Athena's handmaidens burst in.

"My goddess! They come! Poseidon and his soldiers have stormed the gates and murdered the guards! They seek control of the city of King Cecrops and plan to kill us all to obtain it!"

Athena placed the book on the altar and drew her sword in a single fluid motion. "You need to leave now, Eve. Go immediately! This is not a battle you will survive!"

"Athena, please! I need…"

The doors burst open again, and the room swarmed with soldiers- many soldiers with green scaly skin. They were led by a giant man, also green with a long flowing beard and carrying a mighty trident.

As the soldiers closed in, Eve had no time think but could only react. She spun and landed a solid kick to the midsection of the nearest soldier. He fell in surprise, but judging by the shock that went through her body when she landed that kick on the muscular monster, Eve knew he would not be down for long. Two more of the soldiers immediately followed. Eve flattened her hand and chopped brutally at the neck of one, while side kicking the other. The first gurgled as he went down but the second was unfazed and landed a punch to Eve's cheek that left her dazed though still standing. She parried with an elbow to his nose that made contact with a satisfying crack and spun just a second too late to see another of the creatures bearing down upon her flank.

Eve saw the flash of a sword as it swung in her direction. With a speed that would have earned Ezekiel's admiration, Eve dodged the sword attack. She succeeded in avoiding a fatal thrust but the sword slashed across her ribcage as she fell to the side, crashing into the very column that initially had served as her hiding place.

Through a haze of pain, Eve felt her blood streaming down her side. Her fingers touched the cold steel of a sword hilt, dropped by one of the fallen, and she clutched it with determination. She fought to regain her footing but slipped in a puddle of what was likely her own blood and crashed to the slate floor. Looking up, she saw the soldier who had wounded her closing in for the kill thrust. Her training and reflexes kicked in and she slashed the sword in a powerful backhand maneuver which almost completely beheaded her opponent and rained gore down upon her.

The clanging of swords and the cries of the fallen almost drowned out the soft bell-toned voice in her ear. "I know this is not what you wish, but I would have you live to fight another day. Eve Baird, I honor your name. Go now."

Eve gazed up at Athena in confusion and then looked down quickly when she felt the tingle in her fingers. Her right hand still clutched the sword but her left hand, bloodied and bruised, rested upon the illustration of herself in the Book of Myths.

There was a flash and a swooshy kinda boom.

The noise of the battle waged on, but was somehow different. Eve felt disoriented as she noted that the combatants were no longer green.

"You are not nearly as formidable as they say," said Dulaque mockingly. "Kill the Guardian, Lamia!"

Eve experienced an intense moment of regret, a feeling of loss and sadness. With unsteady legs, she climbed to her feet grasping a sword that she had somehow acquired. She raised her head, and staring directly into the eyes of Dulaque's lackey, she calmly said, "Bring it."

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"I failed."

"You did nothing wrong, Col. Baird." Jenkins said, as the others nodded in agreement. "You gave it your best."

"Well, my best was not good enough."

"Someone else needs to try," said Cassie.

With an abrupt crash, the back door burst open and in came a gust of wind seemingly delivering a tall, lanky man dressed in jungle fatigues who was absently brushing off what appeared to be sparkling pink pixie dust which coated his entire body.

"Hey, everybody!" Flynn Carsen called enthusiastically. "What's up?"


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note- I do not own the characters and make no profit. And despite my goal of keeping true to the Greek myths, I succumbed to the temptation to tweak them a bit to fit into my story line better. My bad. I have no will power. Apologies to mythology buffs.

A gazillion thanks to my beta, Valawenal!

Chapter 7

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Jake sang in a deep throaty voice with perfect pitch.

"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Nobody knows my sorrow."

After the first excruciating hour of holding the planet aloft, Jake's arms and shoulders stopped hurting and the burning sensation in his thighs began to fade. He was so relieved by this that he chose to simply enjoy the absence of pain and not to explore the thought that he had the absence of _all_ feeling now. He was still sweaty, though. Rivulets of sweat poured down his face and chest as he stood in the full glare of the sun. He was probably going to have the worst sunburn ever. And dehydration was likely to be an issue if Atlas didn't return soon.

Perhaps dehydration was not the most pressing problem he should be worrying about. _Damn, does the fate of the planet depend on my bladder control? And is there any chance that Atlas will bring back a cheeseburger?_

Now that this planet holding business didn't hurt so much, Jake found his newest nemesis was boredom. Every moment seemed to crawl by in slow motion. There was nothing to look at, nothing to listen to, and no one to talk to. This was dull work. Once he had mentally balanced his checkbook, he moved on to deciding who should be on his Christmas card list. At the moment Cassandra and Ezekiel were _not_ on it.

Jake spoke aloud. "Darn you Cassie! What were you thinking? I thought you had more sense than to take a magical book out of its display case. And you, Ezekiel! Trouble follows you like an old hound dog."

Jake chuckled. _One hour of this and I am already losing my sanity._

The next time his friends knocked him onto another time, dimension or galaxy, Jake fervently hoped it was a magical movie instead of a book. That way, he reckoned, they could actually hear him scolding them.

Well, it was just no fun to yell at people who were not there. Maybe he should just drop the planet. Maybe he should dribble it like a basketball. _Take that, you two! So, Cassie, you thought you had a headache before, huh? Bounce, bounce, bounce. Hey, Ezekiel, I don't supposed all those objects falling out of your pockets are not pilfered, huh? Bounce, bounce, bounce._

Bored with his retribution fantasies, Jake idly wondered how many spiritual songs he could remember and sing before Atlas got back. And Jake was quite confident that Atlas would come back. After all, Atlas took an oath. He swore by his beloved brother's life that he would return here with the Book of Myths. What worried Jake was the fact that while Atlas _did_ swear to return, he _did not_ swear to take the planet holding duty back. _Yep. That's gonna be the problem_.

"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Glory hallelujah!"

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One last vigorous brush to his chest sent a cloud of pink pixie dust into the air as Flynn bounded into the Library, tossed his messenger bag onto the floor and pulled up a chair for himself. He was feeling very good about the mission he had just completed, which may have been why it took him a minute or so to notice the grim expressions on the faces before him. He felt his grin slowly fading as he looked around his circle of friends.

"Oh, oh. What's wrong?"

Eve folded her arms and hung her head. Cassandra turned away, appearing distressed. Ezekiel looked…well, exactly like Ezekiel always looked, though Flynn noted the avoidance of direct eye contact. After an eye roll and a soft huffing sound of disgust, Jenkins succinctly listed the events that led up to Jake's disappearance.

In the pregnant silence that followed the narrative, all eyes focused on the Book of Myths which was resting benignly on the table before them. Flynn squinted and leaned forward for a closer look at the illustration.

"What the heck is Atlas wearing? Is that a…"

"Flannel shirt!" the others said in chorus.

"Oh. Oohhh. That's really Jake?"

"We believe so, " Jenkins said.

"Then this is a Carron's couplet book. I wasn't aware we had one of those here. In fact, I wasn't even sure that story was true," Flynn said in awe.

"Yes, it is likely a Carron's couplet, and yes apparently we do have one, and yes, the story appears to be true. What we don't know, is precisely how to proceed. Eve, please tell Flynn about your trip to Athena's temple."

As Eve told her story, Flynn could feel his stomach tightening and a fluttering sensation in his chest. Eve was his Guardian, which itself was a special relationship. But if he was being entirely honest with himself, he would have to admit that his feelings for Eve had been steadily growing into something more. The thought of the danger she had put herself in had Flynn folding his hands under the table to hide the shaking. He was relieved when Jenkins commented on their next step, which gave him just enough time to gather his thoughts and emotions before responding.

"It seems unwise to send anyone else into the book in the chapter that Eve visited, "Jenkins said, "but I do not know a better option for locating the other Book of Myths."

Flynn pondered the issue. "Eve, did Athena say when she was going to deliver the book to Zeus? If we could pinpoint a timeline, perhaps we could intercept the book in another chapter."

"Before you select another chapter, I would caution you to choose one that is prior to the one that Jake is in," Jenkins said.

Cassie looked up in interest. "Why? What difference would it make?"

Jenkins looked away briefly before responding. "As we do not know how long Jake can last, we should not waste efforts entering the book after Jake did."

Eve broke the ensuing silence. "Actually, Athena said that she asked her brother Hermes to deliver the book."

"Excellent!" Flynn said. "Jenkins, find us a chapter on Hermes. He was the messenger god. I will go into that chapter and see if I can get the book."

Conspicuously silent up until this moment, Ezekiel spoke up, "I believe that I should go."

"Look, Ezekiel…I know you feel some responsibility for this, and I do commend you for volunteering, but I have a bit more experience than you," Flynn said.

"Oh, I am sure you do," Ezekiel said firmly, "but I am definitely the better man for the job."

Cassandra and Eve looked equally startled at this turn of events, while Jenkins gave Ezekiel a speculative look. Flynn took a breath and nodded. "Explain."

"This is Hermes we are talking about," Ezekiel said. "I may not be an expert on mythology in general, but I know all about Hermes. He was young, handsome, fast, agile and known for his practical jokes. Sound like someone you know?"

"How do you happen to know so much about this one particular deity?" Eve asked.

" Hermes…" Ezekiel looked smug as he paused for dramatic effect, "was the patron God of thieves!"

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Ezekiel sat at the table gazing at the Book of Myths, currently open to a page featuring Hermes. Now that the moment had come to enter the book, he was regretting his ill-considered insistence that he should be the one to go. Flynn and Eve had objected. Cassandra had pleaded with him to let her go instead. Strangely, it was Jenkins that stood up for him and convinced the others that Ezekiel really was the most likely choice to enlist the aid of Hermes.

So here he sat, staring at that stupid book and planning to risk his life for Jake Stone, of all people. He knew that the others were waiting in the hall and wondering what was taking him so long. Ah well, he thought, let's go steal a Librarian. Ezekiel reached out, closed his eyes, thought how very much he wanted to survive this experience and touched the page.

His fingers tingled, and the light penetrated his eyelids. And oddly, just before the swooshy boom, he thought he heard something strange. For just a split second, he could have sworn he heard singing.

"Nobody knows…"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7, Ezekiel and the God of Thieves

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Ouch.

Ezekiel wasn't sure which was worse: the swooshy boom thing or the resounding thud when he landed on a stone floor. When his head began to clear and his ears stopped ringing, he opened his eyes and looked around. There in front of him, frozen with an open mouthed stare, was the god Hermes.

Hermes was indeed young and handsome. He stood tall and lean, wearing a rather plain dark green tunic with a matching cap that had wings on it. His feet were clad in leather sandals which also sported wings just above his ankles, and he carried a staff that had two serpents entwined along the upper third of it. All of the wings were flapping wildly as if they too were startled by Ezekiel's abrupt appearance. The serpents had uncoiled just enough to turn in his direction and stare with cold reptile eyes.

Hermes slowly smiled as the wings stilled and the snakes recoiled around the staff. "What trickery is this? You must tell me how this was done."

Ezekiel looked around at what appeared to be a workshop of some type. A scarred wooden table held tools that he had never seen before and couldn't begin to guess the utility of. He climbed to his feet and tried to look deferential when speaking to his boyhood hero, Hermes, the patron god of thieves.

"Um, oh great Hermes, my name is…um, Ezekiel Jones and I am a thief and a Librarian."

Hermes threw his head back and laughed with gusto. "This is wonderful! My sister Athena sent you, I presume. Ah, she seeks to gain retribution for the many times I have enjoyed humor at her expense."

Ezekiel prided himself on being as quick thinking as he was fast on his feet. Perhaps, he thought, there was another way to go about this.

"You have found me out," Ezekiel said with a smile. "I told her that you could not be fooled."

Grinning, Hermes nodded with confidence. "Tell me, Librarian Jones, what strange magic was used to bring you here and what was my sister's plan?"

"Well," Ezekiel said, "your sister placed a glamour on me that would make me resemble the Librarian-thief in the Book of Myths. She thought you would be intrigued by the character of the thief. She used a rare and precious magical artifact to send me here. My job was merely to fool you into thinking that I traveled here through the pages of the book, and that the Library and the people in it were all real in another world. She thought to present you as a fool to your father, Zeus. I have heard much about you, Hermes, and I thought her plan would fail. You are much too clever."

With head cocked to the side and narrowed eyes, Hermes considered at length. "Well, it seems a complicated plot for petty revenge and not at all like my sister. But, I suppose I have vexed her on enough occasions to expect some pay back."

Ezekiel smiled charmingly. "I have one boon to ask of you, sir. I wonder if I might see the Book of Myths. I would like to see the character that I am playing. Is there a picture perhaps?"

"Oh, I don't have the book yet," Hermes replied. "You came just a bit too soon. Dorrie and I were just about to go fetch it."

"Dorrie?"

Hermes gestured to the side. Ezekiel gulped as he saw what appeared to be a life-sized doll in the shape of a woman, but without any features on her form.

"Um, is she a statue? Made of dirt?"

"No, clay actually. And not a statue." Ezekiel was startled when Dorrie moved to face him as if she heard the discussion about her. _Definitely not a statue._

" My brother Hepheastus made her, at my father's request. He does fine work. She doesn't look like much yet, but she will. And speaking of which, I do need to get on with the tasks my father bid me. Do tell me about the magical object that brought you here."

"Ah, a trade perhaps? I will tell you about the object if you take me with you. I wish to meet the mighty Zeus and entertain him with my stories of Librarians."

"Well enough, then! Let's be on our way. There is no time to waste." Hermes snatched up a messenger bag from the floor and threw it over his shoulder. Gripping his staff under one arm, he placed a hand on Ezekiel's shoulder and his other hand on the shoulder of the clay woman. A crisp clean wind came from nowhere rushing past Ezekiel's face causing him to close his eyes and duck his head. Seconds later, the wind subsided and Ezekiel cautiously lifted his head and peered around him.

They appeared to be in a courtyard, surrounded by trees and flowers of glorious colors. Stone benches offered a welcome rest in the sunshine and the air was filled with a heavy floral fragrance.

"I expected the clay woman, Hermes," a female voice said behind them, "but who is this?"

Ezekiel turned and caught his breath. Standing before them was the loveliest woman he had ever seen. Her golden hair was adorned with a wreath of exotic flowers. She wore a flowing white tunic cinched at her narrow waist with glittering silver cords. Her voice was like beautiful music.

"Just a friend, Aphrodite. A long story actually and one for another day. Bestow your gift so that I may be on my way. You know that Zeus will throw lightning bolts at us all if this assignment is not soon completed."

"Very well, impatient one," Aphrodite said. "But you will owe me this tale."

Turning to the clay figure, Aphrodite placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered words that Ezekiel could not hear. When she stepped away, he forgot to breathe once more. Standing where the clay figure had been was a beautiful woman with glossy chestnut hair and rosy cheeks. The formerly clay woman strolled towards them with the grace of a dancer.

"Well done, Aphrodite! I promise to return with the amusing tale of Athena's attempted prank. But for now, we must fly! Come, Dorrie. Come Jones."

With lightning moves, Hermes grasped each of them and the wind burst through the courtyard. Still dumbfounded, Ezekiel caught one last regretful glance at the stunning goddess Aphrodite before he was whisked away.

"Are you well, Jones? You look a bit peaked."

Ezekiel gazed up at the handsome countenance of Hermes. "That goddess….Aphrodite….she was….she was….."

"Yes, she has that effect on men! Now, stay with Dorrie for a moment. I must speak with my sister, Athena."

As Hermes strode away, Ezekiel took stock of his surroundings. Unlike the classic beauty of the court yard they had just visited, this place was grim. Wreckage was everywhere,

statues and urns all broken and strewn across the slate floor along with dark puddles of what Ezekiel was beginning to suspect was blood.

"Sister, what happened here?" Hermes asked of a strikingly attractive woman clad in body armor and wearing a weary expression.

"Poseidon. As you can see, I have much to do. My temple is in ruins, my people dead or injured gravely. I have no minutes to spare for this folly. Let Zeus deal directly with Prometheus about the theft of fire. Raining evil and destruction on innocents is not the way to handle this."

Hermes nodded. "My sister, I agree. But it is not for me or you to question the decision of our father. Bestow your gift and we will be out of your way."

Athena glared at her brother and for a moment, Ezekiel thought she would refuse. Hermes smiled sadly and touched her arm. Speaking softly, he said, "Please, Athena. Do not anger Zeus. Just do as he bids, for you are a great favorite of mine and it would grieve me to lose you."

After a pause, Athena shrugged in resignation.

Hermes called out, "Dorrie, come here!" and the strange woman walked gracefully up to the goddess. Athena, touched her cheek and whispered, "I grant you intelligence, skill with arts, and bestow finery upon you."

Before Ezekiel's eyes, the woman seemed to change. Dullness left her eyes and was replaced with a gleam, her simple clothes morphed into fine silken drapes adorned with jewels that made Ezekiel's fingers itch. He was so dazzled by the transformation that he almost missed Athena reaching behind her to produce a cloth covered packet the size of a book.

"Here. Take this, Hermes. Give my father this gift which he will cherish, though I no longer find joy in the giving."

Hermes dropped the packet into his messenger bag. With the speed and agility he was known for, he grabbed Dorrie's hand and Ezekiel's shoulder as the wings on his cap and sandals began to flap joyfully. The wind rushed in as Hermes called to Athena's receding figure, "When this is over, sister, we will need to teach you how to execute a proper prank!"

Athena turned at her brother's call. Hermes smirked and jerked his head in Ezekiel's direction.

"Librarians, Athena? Really?"

Ezekiel saw Athena staring at them in puzzlement just before the room disappeared and sunlight blinded his eyes.

Expecting to see a grand temple built to honor Zeus, Ezekiel was confused to find himself in front of a humble house. Turning to Hermes, he saw the god take both of Dorrie's hands and whisper in her ear. She smiled serenely as he released her hands.

"You just bestowed your gift on her," Ezekiel said with certainty.

"I did, yes."

Ezekiel couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. "What was it? Did you give her speed? Or was it agility? Perhaps you taught her to play the lyre? You are known for that as well."

"None of these," Hermes said flatly. He turned and looked at Ezekiel directly. "As my father wished, I gave her cunning and curiosity. And…deceit."

Before Ezekiel could respond, Hermes took Dorrie's hand and started towards the house.

"Ah, wait," Hermes said. "I almost forgot". He dropped his messenger bag onto the ground and crouched down to rummage in it. Ezekiel held his breath when Hermes pulled out the cloth covered packet and set it aside. Reaching deeper into the bag, he gingerly lifted out a glossy black enameled box and handed it carefully to Dorrie. Taking her hand again, they strode to the door and Hermes knocked.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Ezekiel snatched up the bundle from the ground and pulled the cloth wrapping off. _Yes_! It was a Book of Myths. Gilded and bejeweled, the book sparkled in the sunlight. He slowly backed away as the front door of the house opened to reveal a huge man. Ezekiel slowed the pace of his retreat, seeking to escape the notice of the trio at the door.

"Hermes?" The giant man said questioningly. "What brings you here?"

"Epimetheus, my friend! I bring a gift! From Zeus, for your support in the war against the Titans." Hermes grandly gestured towards Dorrie who smiled demurely.

It was clear that Epimetheus was dazzled by the woman's beauty. She tossed her glossy hair back and glided gracefully into the house before Epimetheus could reply. He smiled at Hermes and said "Mighty Zeus is gracious! I would have thought that he would be angry after my brother Prometheus stole fire and gave it to mankind."

"Ah, well. That would be between them, now wouldn't it? It has nothing to do with you," Hermes said shortly as he turned and marched away.

Ezekiel froze, caught backing away with the pilfered book in his hands. To his surprise, Hermes did not seem to notice Ezekiel's retreat or the book. With a distracted- and Ezekiel thought- sad look upon his handsome face, Hermes scooped up his messenger bag and strode away. Still clutching the book, Ezekiel paused to decide whether he should run or follow.

With a hideous roar, the wind picked up. This was not the crystal wind that Hermes rode, but an evil, foul-smelling gust that carried dark rotting objects. The sunlight winked out and an inhuman screech filled the air as thousands of eerie flying shadows and more dark, rotting things burst through the roof of the house and filled the sky.

Forgetting all thoughts of retreat, Ezekiel raced after Hermes. "What is that? What just happened?"

"What happened, my friend?" Hermes said sadly, "Well, it seems that Pandora just opened the box."

Shocked, Ezekiel barely felt the pain when he tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. He heard the howling of the evil things and felt an aching despair. And for just a moment, he felt something else- tingling in his fingertips. Lifting his head, he just barely registered the sight of the Book of Myths lying on the ground, pages open and his own fingers resting on a page, before he heard the all too familiar swooshy kinda boom.

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All was quiet. Groaning, Ezekiel raised himself to a sitting position, and then staggered to his feet. He appeared to be in a hospital room. There was a young girl, looking pale and delicate, resting in the bed. Ezekiel felt a sense of urgency though he could not seem to clear his mind enough to determine what it was. He had to do something, something important. It was something to do with a book. The book? Where was the book? Yes, there. Right there in his hands. Ezekiel peered at the book in confusion. The title read Libris Fabula.


	9. Chapter 9

BoM ch.9 Finding Hope

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Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now am found

Was blind but now I see

Twas grace that taught…

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"Well, hello."

Jake stopped singing mid stanza to greet the stranger. It was odd. One moment he was belting out the song to emptiness and the next moment he noticed the old man. There he was, thin and bearded, with long white hair that reached his shoulders. He was just sitting on a rock, wearing loose-fitting robes, a leather bag over his shoulder, holding a notebook and a pen in his lap, and smiling serenely.

"Hello. Please don't let me disturb you. Do continue with your song. It was lovely."

"Well, I do appreciate the praise, sir, but I think I'd rather a little conversation, if you don't mind."

"As you wish." The stranger tipped his head in agreement.

"Who might you be? And how did you get here? Why are you here? And, I don't suppose you have a cheeseburger in that bag…"

The old man smiled broadly. "I am Lex. I am a mere traveler, a vagabond who wanders for no specific purpose. How I arrived here- well, that's a bit complicated and long in the telling. Why am I here? Well, I was drawn by your singing. You have a remarkable voice. And sorry, no. No cheeseburgers. And you… you are most certainly not Atlas."

"No sir, I am not. My name is Jake Stone."

"Ah. Jake Stone. You are a Librarian, then."

Jake jerked in surprise at Lex's statement and hoped that he didn't just cause a tsunami to take out Japan.

"How could you know that? Have you read the book?"

Lex chuckled. "I am intimately familiar with a great many books, my son. But I do not recall a specific story in which a Librarian was left to hold up the world. Perhaps you would share your tale?"

"It's a bit long in the tellin' as well. But I reckon you already know most of it."

"Do you? And how have you come to that conclusion?"

"You dress like you are from here. But that notebook in your hand looks like it came from a drug store back home and I am pretty sure these ancient Greeks weren't writing with ballpoint pens."

Lex threw his head back and laughed with gusto. "Well done, Jake! You are exactly as I envisioned you."

"You seem to have me at a disadvantage, since I have never envisioned you at all. Seems like you should be the one telling the tale."

"Let me ask you this first. Why did you take the world from Atlas?"

"I needed him to get something for me. Something that will get me home."

"And you think he can be trusted to return with this item?"

"I made him swear an oath."

"I see. Did he also swear to take back the world on his shoulders?"

"Nah, but I think I got that covered."

"Hmmm. Well then. I assume you are expecting assistance from…colleagues? Friends?"

"Actually, I am hoping I can resolve this myself before my friends do something foolish. I don't want them putting themselves in danger on my behalf."

"You obviously value these people. It is a great blessing to have such friends."

"Yeah. I guess I do. It kinda sneaks up on you, ya know? One day they are annoying coworkers and the next…well, more like kin. You love 'em even when they drive ya crazy."

"Yes, they are special, aren't they?"

"Yeah, Flynn- well, he is just about the smartest, bravest guy I know. Jenkins acts like he hates us all but I know we're growing on him. Eve would throw herself in front of a runaway train to save any one of us. Ezekiel is a snarky little thief. But he is also smart, talented and way more dependable than he would have you believe. And then there is Cassandra."

"Cassandra?"

"Yeah. She's really special. Smart. Sweet. Beautiful. And dying." Jake's voice cracked and he took a few seconds to collect himself. "Cassie has a brain tumor and not much more time to live."

"You should never give up on hope, Jake. Perhaps Cassandra's story will be rewritten."

"I don't really see how that can happen, but I sure do hope that...Lex?"

Jake looked around. He was alone.

 _Damn. I really am losing my mind. Been out in this sun way too long. Chatting away with an imaginary old dude. Hallucinations after only a few hours?_

This did not bode well. Jake hoped he was right about Atlas honoring that oath. And he damn well better have his wits about him when Atlas did return.

Jake grimaced and shifted the heavy planet on his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and sang.

I once was lost, but now am found

Was blind but now I see.

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Cassandra had seen Ezekiel angry. She had seen him frightened. She had seen him happy. But she was certain she had never seen this emotion on his face. She was not even certain what the emotion was. It was a disconcerting mixture of sadness, regret and a hint of shame. It distressed her to see it because he was her friend and because she knew she was the one who put that face on Ezekiel. If she had not had the poor judgment to take that book from its case, Jake would not be in this predicament and Ezekiel would not have experienced whatever happened in that book. Once again she had let her friends down. Seems like she had been making a habit of that.

Ezekiel looked up at her and smiled weakly.

"Sorry. I guess I blew it."

Cassandra could find no words of comfort, so she settled for resting her hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently.

Eve and Flynn eased silently into the chairs across from them while Jenkins took his place at the head of the table.

"Mr. Jones," Jenkins said, "perhaps you'd like to share?"

"I thought I was being clever. And I actually had the book. I _had_ it! But I was so busy conning Hermes that I didn't pay any attention to what he was doing. There was a woman, and she was…well, she turned out to be Pandora and she released all the evil things into the world. And I did nothing to stop it."

Eve and Flynn glanced at each other briefly.

"Listen, Ezekiel," Eve said, "you know that's just a story, right?"

"It felt so real. It was real, I know it. I felt all the awful things. I felt the entire world change in a single instant and it was terrible. And then I fell and the book was open and I touched it. Stupid! I was stupid, stupid, stupid. I should have let you go, Flynn, because I really messed up."

"You didn't mess up," Eve said. "You gave it your best effort, just as I did."

"We will regroup and give it another try. We _will_ get Jake back," Flynn said firmly. "Don't worry."

"It will be too late for them. All those people in that world. All those evil things unleashed on them."

"It's just a story! It isn't real-"

"You weren't there, Flynn! You didn't feel it! How do we know what's real? How do we really know? Those people think we are the myths. What if they are right? What if that guy Carron was one of them and we are just his story? Did it feel real to you, Eve? Your wound was real enough, I recall."

Eve opened her mouth and then closed it. She shrugged and turned away, arms crossed.

"I felt evil, pure evil," Ezekiel said softly, "and I helped release it into their world."

Cassandra took his hand in hers, and leaned forward until he had no choice but to make eye contact with her. She spoke softly.

"You just weren't there long enough. At the end of the story, Pandora looks in the box and finds one more thing. Remember? She finds hope."

Ezekiel looked back at her with haunted eyes, and gave her a brief nod.

Jenkins cleared his throat. "Mr. Jones, you and Ms. Cillian look like you both could use a break. Perhaps, some food and rest is in order."

"Excellent thought," Flynn said. "okay then, Jenkins, Eve and I will continue working on this. We need to approach this smarter. No more jumping in without proper intel. We need to do research. You two go get something to eat and take it easy for a while. We will let you know what we find out."

"Why don't I go make us all some sandwiches? We will all think more clearly once we have eaten," Cassandra said.

"Good." Flynn said. "Meanwhile, some research is in order. Jenkins, you gather everything you can on Carron. Eve, you and I will research Zeus. If the book is going to him, we need to know everything we can about him. Before anyone attempts a trip into that book again, we need a better plan."

"I'd like to help." Ezekekiel spoke softly.

Flynn regarded Ezekiel thoughtfully, surprised that Ezekiel would volunteer for research, which was certainly not his favorite pastime. "Fine. You can research Hera. She was the wife of Zeus. Okay, let's get going, everyone."

Flynn, Eve and Ezekiel headed up to the mezzanine to explore the stacks for reference books. Jenkins headed back to his office.

Cassandra walked with purpose in the direction of their small kitchenette but stopped once she was in the hall. She waited quietly, listening to the receding steps and voices of the others. When she was sure they were gone, she crept silently back into the room and approached the book.

It was hard to believe that something so beautiful could cause so much grief. Jake was trapped in there and probably in pain. Ezekiel was clearly suffering and Eve wasn't really herself since returning. Cassandra opened the cover and gently turned the pages.

"Cassandra! What are you doing?"

She looked up to see Flynn at the mezzanine railing with a look of concern on his face.

"This is my fault and I need to make it right."

"Cassie, no! No!"

She blinked away her tears, took a deep ragged breath and rested her hand on the open page.

"Nooo!"


	10. Chapter 10

Book of Myths, Chapter 10

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Cassie rubbed her eyes. She saw darks spots in front of her eyes, her head was pounding and there was a strange ringing in her ears. _Where am I?_ She raised herself slowly to a sitting position and took stock of her surroundings. She seemed to be in a clearing of a wooded area. Sunlight dappled through the trees and a soft breeze wafted through her hair.

Her vision began to clear and she was startled to see a magnificent bird on the other side of the clearing. It stood silently, watching her, tail feathers fanned outward displaying jewel toned colors: turquoise, gold, emerald green. Its body was a rich royal blue and its eyes seemed to hold a keen intelligence. A peacock, Cassandra thought. Had she ever seen anything so breathtakingly beautiful? She gazed at the stunning creature, barely breathing, and wondering if this was all a dream.

As her mind slowly cleared, Cassandra began to knit the scraps of her memory together. She was in the book. Jake was in danger. She entered the book to help him. But what chapter was this? Had she had the time to properly choose a chapter? Groaning in pain and frustration, she rubbed her temples and tried to remember. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing deeply.

"What ails you, child?"

Cassie was so surprised by the voice that she nearly fell over. Heart thundering, she looked up to find the peacock was gone. Standing exactly where the bird had been was a tall, slim woman. Her glossy brunette hair held a touch of gray. Her face was patrician, unlined but with the look of wisdom that age brought. She was not beautiful in the classic sense, but her features were attractive and she seemed to radiate kindness.

"Are you injured? Unwell? Can you speak, little one?"

Realizing that she had been sitting there on the ground gaping and probably looking like a village idiot, Cassie felt her face flushing with embarrassment. She climbed unsteadily to her feet and greeted the older woman.

"Hello. I do beg your pardon. It was not my intention to be rude. To be honest, I really am not feeling well today."

The woman studied her at length before replying. "Yes, I do see a darkness within you but this is not a sickness that I recognize. Are you cursed?"

"Cursed?" Cassie exclaimed. "No, of course not. I have a brain tumor. Some days are better than others and this just isn't a good one."

Cassie didn't like talking about her cancer, not even with her friends. How did this happen? Did she really just blurt that out to a total stranger? Granted, the woman had a nice demeanor- kind, maybe even motherly- but to simply spill her most private business without hesitation, was absolutely not the norm for Cassie. And it seemed that the mention of cancer made this kindly woman uncomfortable as well, judging from the odd look she was giving Cassie.

This was not an auspicious start to her plan to save Jake. If this woman was going to be an ally, Cassie would have to turn this conversation around quickly.

"Oh, I do apologize, madam. I don't know what got into me. Of course, you don't need to hear about my tumor. Please forgive me."

The woman tilted her head and pursed her lips. "What nonsense is this, child? Tumor? Is this another language? Your clothing is odd, you use words I do not recognize. You are wandering my woods, alone, and you apparently are cursed. My patience grows thin. Explain yourself without delay."

Cassie gulped. The woman's mood had certainly changed in a flash. Gone was the warm, motherly charm. Cassie felt an uneasy trickle of fear at the sight of the woman before her, now angry and intimidating.

"Oh, my. I am so...sorry…I didn't mean to upset you. I just…" Cassie knew she was stammering and could see the affect she was having on the woman. Pausing to take a deep breath, she marshaled her thoughts and tried again. "Yes, I am from a place very far away. I am ill, and I guess it is a type of curse. I traveled here in hopes of meeting Zeus. Where I am from, no one can help me. I have heard that Zeus is powerful. I came to beg his assistance." Cassie wasn't comfortable with lies but she guessed that this was close enough to the truth.

The woman's eyes softened and her fury seemed to drain away. Once again, she appeared to be a gentle and nurturing mother figure, though this time Cassie wasn't quite so trusting of the image.

"Ah, I see," the woman replied in her 'compassionate mom' voice. "I believe I can help you. I am Hera, goddess of marriage and family, wife of Zeus."

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Cassie said. "I would be so grateful if you could take me to Zeus."

"Then come along, child. Let us see if my husband can help you with that cold, dark thing you harbor. I must confess that I have never encountered such a thing before. I will be most interested in his thoughts about this. Let us hasten to Olympus."

With a long legged stride that Cassie struggled to keep up with, the goddess Hera left the clearing and stepped briskly onto a path winding through the trees. Cassie was breathing heavily with the effort in under a minute.

"Is it far?" Cassie asked. "Olympus? Is it far?"

"Olympus is not of this world, child. Far and near have no meaning."

 _Oh, no. Not now. Please, not now._ Cassie felt the familiar and unwelcome sensation of a rising pressure in her head. Her vision swam, and the greens and browns of the forest blurred together. Dimly she felt a jolt as she fell to her knees in the grass. _Far. Near. Moss on the trees, traveling east. Sun directly overhead. Mid-day. Far. Near. Traveling two miles per hour. Far. Near._

With excruciating effort, Cassie forced her mind back into the present. These spells were so hard to pull herself out of. She realized how much she missed Jake, who always seemed to know just how to talk to her, to bring her back to reality. But Jake couldn't help her now. Once again, she focused on her breathing. One deep breath in, now let it out slowly. Another breath in. Let it out slowly. _Ignore the pounding in my head. Just breathe! I can do this. I have to._

Gradually, the words and images and random thoughts began to fade. She could see the blades of grass under her fingers, feel the dirt, hear the breeze ruffling the leaves of the trees. With a sigh of relief, Cassie stood, brushing her hair from her face and addressed Hera.

"So sorry. Sometimes that happens to me." Cassie's smile froze. Hera's mood had clearly changed again. Her rigid posture, crossed arms, scowling mouth and narrowed eyes left no doubt that Cassie had somehow incurred her wrath again.

"Did you just have a vision?" Hera's speech was clipped.

Cassie was unsure of how to explain her spells to a mythical Greek goddess who had never heard of a brain tumor. If 'nice mom Hera' was here, she might attempt it. But with "scary mad Hera" standing before her, perhaps it was best to keep things simple.

"Yes, I guess you might think of this as a vision," Cassie said.

"I don't believe you told me your name," Hera said.

Cassie was momentarily caught off guard by the change of subject, and she was getting tired of constantly apologizing. Straightening her spine, lifting her chin, and making direct eye contact with Hera, she replied, "My name is Cassandra."

If Cassie thought Hera was frightening before, she could now see how naïve she had been. This version of Hera was truly terrifying and almost certainly dangerous. Her face was flushed, hands fisted and teeth clenched. Her body seemed to vibrate with rage and her voice was as cold as ice.

"You! You are Cassandra the Seer! Temptress! Breaker of hearts! Destroyer of sacred marriage vows! I will not have you in my presence, you foul, evil thing!"

"No! No!" Cassie cried out. "I am not that Cassandra! I am not a seer!"

Her desperate pleas were silenced as Hera swung her arm forcefully in Cassie's direction. A dreadful pain shot through Cassie's chest as Hera's hand pointed in her direction. Her body was lifted in the air and she saw the trees flash past her as she was tossed like a ragdoll. With a shockingly painful crash, she hit something solid and slid to the ground. She saw Hera advancing in her direction with fury clearly evident just as her vision darkened and awareness slipped away.

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Pain. Darkness and pain. Cassie couldn't think clearly. Pain was her entire world. Pain and- in the distance- voices? She struggled to understand but the words made no sense to her.

"Are you certain it is her?"

"I saw her have a vision. She told me she was Cassandra."

"They say she is mad, you know. She has visions but they are false. She is no true oracle."

"She is a strange girl. I felt for her at first."

"She is evil! You are patron goddess of marriage. You cannot condone her behavior. She stole away my husband, Agamemnon. She destroyed my marriage."

"I am aware. I do not condone her behavior. It is why I called you here. But you should watch that sharp tongue of yours before I tear it from your mouth. I will not be disrespected by the likes of you!"

"A thousand pardons, mistress. It is my grief that loosens my tongue so. It is the heartbreak that this woman gave me."

"Heartbreak? Do you take me for a fool? You have already moved on, Clytemnestra. You consort with Aegisthus behind your husband's back."

"Only to console myself, mistress. Only to put salve on my unbearable pain."

"I have no tolerance for home wreckers, as you well know. But you sicken me with your insincere half truths. I want you gone. Now."

"And what of her?"

"Take her. She is the author of her own fate. I do not care to have either of you in my presence a single moment longer."

"Thank you, great mistress. Thank you for this gift."

For the briefest moment of time, Cassie felt a pang of sadness for the fate of the woman the voices spoke of. A sudden crushing pain burst upon her and she felt nothing more.

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Jenkins was alone. It was late. It was very quiet. Earlier, Flynn had declared that there was nothing more anyone should do until Cassie returned. He instructed everyone to go get some rest. Eve and Ezekiel left wordlessly. Flynn had followed. The annex was silent.

Jenkins wasn't fooled by the silence. He knew they were out there. Thinking. Worrying. Researching. Planning. But not sleeping. Jenkins knew what they were all thinking even though none of them had voiced it.

"…until Cassie returns" Flynn had said.

But that was exactly the thing, wasn't it? Cassandra had not returned. Eve and Ezekiel had returned instantly. Their time in the book was in their past, so they were here in the present. But not Cassandra. And why was that? This was important. This might be the key to solving the entire mess.

This was the puzzle that Jenkins needed to solve. And the answer to the puzzle was surely in this book. If the answer was not between the pages of the Book of Myths, then it was unlikely to be found at all. And that was not an outcome Jenkins was willing to accept.

With more trepidation than he cared to admit, he gingerly turned the pages to the Atlas chapter. His breath hissed out in relief as he saw the illustration. Jake was still there, still holding up the world in jeans, boots and that silly plaid flannel shirt- really, shouldn't a Librarian dress with a bit more professionality? Wait. What was that expression? Why is his mouth open and his head angled back? Is he screaming? _No_. Body language too relaxed. No tension in neck muscles. No squinting around the eyes. Something else. Singing? Is he singing?

Jenkins huffed and shook his head. _Must move on._ Jake was fine for the moment.

He had reviewed the chapters prior to the one Jake was in and found no clues to the disappearance of Cassandra. Carefully paging ahead, he studied the next chapter. His breathing stilled and his heart skipped a beat.

"Flynn?"

Flynn leaned over the mezzanine railing and looked down at Jenkins. "How did you know I was here?"

Jenkins growled to himself under his breath. "The same way I know that Mr. Jones is lurking just outside that door and that Col. Baird is behind the bookshelf to your left. You should all come here. We need to talk."

Three sets of footsteps echoed and three sets of voices blended as the Librarians and the Guardian emerged from their positions to join Jenkins at the table.

"You found something?"

"What is it, Jenkins?

"Is it Cassie?"

Jenkins turned the book so they could all see the illustration.

"I don't get it. What is this about?" Ezekiel asked.

Jenkins cleared his throat. It seemed a bit dry suddenly and it was difficult to speak. "This is a chapter about the fall of Troy. After the city fell, the king's loveliest daughter was given to Agamemnon as spoils of war."

"Yes, of course," Flynn said. "They left the Trojan Horse outside the city gates. The Trojans thought it was a concession and brought it in, not realizing it was filled with enemy soldiers who came out after nightfall and attacked the city. King Prius had a daughter named Cassandra who received the gift of prophecy from Apollo and…wait. What has this got to do with our situation?"

"Look at the picture again. Look closely. Tell me what you see." Jenkins said.

They leaned forward and examined the picture as instructed. Ezekiel was the first to break the silence. "Oi. Is that Cassie?"

Eve groaned. "That _is_ Cassie and that is a prison she is in."

Jenkins nodded. "Agamemnon's wife took exception to his new acquisition. She took a lover herself and together they murdered Agamemnon and jailed the king's daughter."

Flynn was uncharacteristically quiet. Eve looked at him with concern while Ezekiel stared at the picture with a blank look on his young face.

"Flynn? Jenkins? What happened to the king's daughter?" Eve asked.

Waves of emotion crossed Flynn's face but words did not come. Jenkins responded.

"The king's daughter Cassandra was first imprisoned and later beheaded."


	11. Chapter 11

Author's note- The usual disclaimers apply. I do not own the characters and I make no profit.

Many heartfelt thanks go out to my beta, Valawenel.

The Librarians and the Book of Myths, ch. 11, They Never Stay Home and They're Always Alone

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It was cold and dark when she woke. She lay on a dirt floor in a quiet cell that smelled of dampness, mold, rot and other unpleasant things.

Cassie could find no reason to get up. Instead, she simply lay there, counting the things she had been wrong about that day. She had been wrong when she thought her headache couldn't get worse. She was wrong when she thought it would be harmless to take that book from the case. She was definitely wrong to think she could effectively orchestrate a rescue mission for Jake. Oh, and she was quite wrong to just jump into the book without knowing where she was going. She was pretty sure there would be no salvaging her favorite fuzzy pink sweater. But then the damn thing had totally failed to cheer her up today- another thing she had been wrong about.

Ah, well. She could just continue to lie here feeling sorry for herself until she died or she could get up and face the situation. Cassie did not consider herself a quitter. Maybe there wasn't a good reason to get up but it felt wrong to give up and she had done enough wrong for one day.

With a sigh, she rolled over onto her stomach and pushed up to her hands and knees. The darkness was so absolute that she worried about trying to navigate the space safely. Staying on her knees, she carefully crawled a few steps, waving her hand back and forth in front of her. Before long, her hand made contact with a wall. It was cold and rough, and in places coated with a slimy substance that Cassie did not care to think much about. She stood and ran her hands over the stone looking for a door or boarded window, or anything that might be an egress. Finding nothing, she began a slow, cautious walk along the wall, still systematically examining the surface with her fingertips.

So intent was she in her tactile inspection of her confines, that the soft sound of breathing went undetected, probably for a minute or two. When she first became aware, she was not even certain it wasn't just her imagination. Her heart thudded so loudly in her ears that she couldn't quite tell what direction the sound was coming from.

"Hello. Is someone there?"

There was no response though Cassie thought the breathing increased in rate.

"I know you are there. I can hear you breathing. Please don't be afraid of me. I am afraid, too. Maybe we can help each other. My name is Cassie. Who are you?"

"Cassandra."

The reply was so soft that Cassie wondered if it was nothing more than a draft of air that she heard.

"I can barely hear you. Where are you? Who are you?"

"Cassandra."

This time the reply was audible. The voice was female, but barely more than a cracked whisper as if the owner had not used her voice for some time.

"Yes, that is my name. Who are you?" Cassie felt a chill that had little to do with the temperature in the room.

"I am Cassandra…also."

Comprehension flooded her mind. Of course. _This is Cassandra the seer, the one I was mistaken for._

"Are you alright? You do not sound well. Can I help you at all?" Cassie couldn't fathom what she could possible do to help the other woman but she could think of nothing else to say. Turning her back to the wall, she slid down until she was seated and waited patiently for a response from her cell mate.

A full minute ticked by before the other Cassandra spoke. "There is nothing you can do for me. There is nothing anyone can do for me. But please tell me, are you a Librarian?"

"Yes," Cassie said, "I am. How did you know that?"

"I saw your arrival in a vision."

"That's amazing. You are the Cassandra that has the gift of prophecy?"

"It is no gift, I assure you." Cassandra spoke with disgust. "It is a curse and it has been my undoing. I am doomed and my fate is sealed. I have lost my family and my home, and soon I will lose my life."

"I have a curse, also," Cassie said. "I have a sickness that is killing me. The sickness grows stronger every day and I know I do not have much time left. So, I guess we are very much alike as I am doomed, too, and my fate also sealed."

"Well, at least we have each other, now. Perhaps it will be less frightening than dying alone."

"Perhaps so. How long have you been here? And exactly where are we anyway?"

"This is a prison deep in the ground beneath the home of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. I believe I have been here for a day or maybe two. I was to be executed but your arrival stayed my fate for a little longer."

"My arrival?" Cassie asked. "Why would my arrival have anything to do with your execution? And why would someone want to execute you? I am so confused by all this."

"I am-or actually I was- a princess of Troy. We have been engaged in a terrible war with the Greeks for ten years. They tricked us and infiltrated our walls under the cover of darkness. After they defeated us, they killed my family and burned Troy to the ground. I was given to Agamemnon as spoils of war," Cassandra said with bitterness. "This angered his wife, Clytemnestra, who blames me though it was never my choice to be his chattel. She has declared that I am to be put to death for the sins she credits me with. I would already be dead if you had not come."

"Me? I mean, I am glad I somehow helped you but what did I have to do with it?"

"You are Cassandra also. And the goddess Hera claims that you have visions. Now, Clytemnestra does not know which of us that her husband Agamemnon has been consorting with. She would execute us both but she fears what people will think and do. They will allow her the privilege of destroying the woman who allegedly stole her husband's affections, but they would not be as open minded about her killing both of us just to make sure."

"So, we have until Agamemnon arrives and identifies you?"

Cassandra sighed. "That is not going to happen. Agamemnon is dead. Clytemnestra killed him."

"Then we are safe," Cassie said, "as long as we don't tell anyone which of us is Cassandra the seer."

"You are too optimistic, my friend." Cassandra sounded resigned. "She is an evil, selfish woman. She will find a way to kill us both, I am sure."

"I don't accept that. While we live, we have hope. We need to make a plan so we can get out of this mess."

"You do not know this woman. She will destroy us both," Cassandra said.

The hopelessness in her companion's voice was heartbreaking to Cassie. It seemed that the universe might be offering her an opportunity to do one thing right today.

"Cassandra. Perhaps your fate is not sealed. Mine definitely is. My sickness will kill me and there is no way to stop it. But perhaps we can save you."

"I do not see any way that can happen," Cassandra said.

"Clytemnestra wants revenge on a Cassandra. Let's give it to her. I will tell her that I am the seer. I am going to die anyway, but you don't have to. She will have no reason to keep you imprisoned once she has what she wants."

"No. I can't allow you to do that for me."

Cassie sighed. "Let me help you. It would, at least, give my death some meaning. And it would be a quicker death than fading away in a hospital bed. I can give you back your life."

"You are good and kind. You have already given me much, as I have never had a friend like you. You are…" Cassandra abruptly stopped speaking.

Cassie heard the squeal of rusty hinges as a door opened and closed nearby. Footsteps approached.

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"I have a plan."

All eyes focused on Flynn. All three of them looked at him expectantly, and he could read the cautious hope on their faces. He cleared his throat and spoke.

"I have a plan. I think we need to approach this differently. We have completely failed with our current approach, and now we have two Librarians trapped in that damn book. We can't afford another failed attempt."

Jenkins was lightly tapping his fingers on the table while thoughtfully staring off in space. Ezekiel's face was still carved with a haunted look and his body language emanated defeat. Eve stared at Flynn with laser beam intensity. He shifted uncomfortably and continued.

"I should not have to say this, but I will," Eve said. "There cannot be any more spontaneous, unplanned and ill-considered actions. That is what got us into this mess to begin with. Are we clear on that?"

All three heads nodded.

"Good," Flynn said.

"How?" Eve asked. "How do you propose we get that other book? How do we get the planet off of Jake? How do we break Cassie out of jail? And then, how do we get them both back here?"

"We don't."

Jenkins squinted and Eve tilted her head, but it was Ezekiel who reacted strongly. Jumping to his feet, he kicked his chair over in frustration. "No way, Flynn! No way are we going to just leave them there!"

"Calm down. I never said we were going to leave them there. I am just trying to say that we need to do things differently. Sit down, Ezekiel." Flynn softened his voice. "Come on, sit. I would _never_ just leave them."

Mollified, Ezekiel righted his chair and sat, never taking his eyes off Flynn.

"We have tried and failed to correct what has happened. What we need to do is to make sure it never happens to begin with," Flynn said.

Eve raised her eyebrows. "And exactly how do we achieve that?"

"I am going to go into the book. Before I go, I will write out today's events in my journal and place it in my satchel, which I will take with me. I will find the book and return immediately, using an earlier chapter. This will create the time paradox you two have already experienced. When that happens to me, I will lose all my memories of this day and the book as well. But, I will have the account of today's events in my journal, written in my own handwriting. I will be sure to give myself instructions to move the Book of Myths to a more secure location. If I succeed in doing that, then this day will not happen the way it did. Cassie will not have access to the book and Jake will never end up stranded in a mythical world with a planet on his shoulders."

"That could work," Eve said slowly. "Jenkins, what do you think?"

Jenkins took a few moments to consider the plan. "It's a possibility. We cannot know for sure how the time paradox would affect an inanimate object such as the journal. It well may be that the journal returns blank because the story wasn't written yet. I simply do not know."

Ezekiel broke the silence. "You should let me do it. I am a thief. I have a better chance of getting in and out than any of you."

Eve looked at Flynn in alarm.

"No," Flynn said gently. "Ezekiel, you haven't been yourself since you returned. I know that your brush with Pandora's evils has hurt you. And Eve, before you volunteer, you are also not your usual confident Guardian self since your return. With all due respect to both of you, this one is me. No arguments."

Flynn was relieved though faintly surprised when they both nodded in reluctant agreement without the expected debate.

"Okay. Good." Flynn pulled his journal out of his bag, set it on the table and began to write.

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"Any minute now, " Eve said.

"Yeah, and it should be the last swooshy boom we ever have to hear again," Ezekiel replied, "and I am sure not going to miss it."

"No, me neither..." Eve's words were cut off by the boom and she squinted to save her eyes from the flash of light under the door.

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Jake had run out of inspirational songs and moved on to his considerably long list of favorite country western tunes.

 _Mammas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys_

 _Don't let 'em pick guitars or drive them old trucks_

 _Let 'em be doctors and lawyers and such_

 _Mammas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys_

' _Cause they'll never stay home and they're always alone_

 _Even with someone they love_

There was a deep throated chuckle. "Perhaps, those mammas you sing of should make sure their babies don't grow up to be Librarians."

"Well, hello Atlas. Nice of you to come back."


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note- I do not own the Librarian characters (or the Greek gods, either!) and I make no profit.

Heartfelt thanks to my beta, Valawenel

Book of Myths, Chapter 12, Angels and Demons

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Eve was uncharacteristically nervous. This entire ordeal had flustered her in a way that none of their other experiences had. Even though she knew what to expect, she was still startled by the flash of light bursting from under the door along with that booming sound and the intense sensation of pressure. As she raised her hand to protect her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Ezekiel and Jenkins doing the same.

Eve lowered her hand as she cautiously opened her eyes and looked at her companions. "So. We are still here. Yup. Still standing here in the hallway."

"And," Ezekiel said, "I still remember everything."

Jenkins hesitated and then wordlessly reached for the door knob.

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At that moment in another world, Cassie was also covering her eyes. The pitch darkness of her cell was penetrated by the light of several torches as the door flew open. She blinked and squinted until her vision adjusted to the light and she could see the visitors.

A woman stood before her, flanked by several torch bearing guards. She was middle aged with somewhat plain features, but dressed in a silken draped, richly embroidered gown and laden with an overabundance of jewelry.

The woman- Clytemnestra, Cassie guessed- lifted her chin and gazed down her nose haughtily at them.

"Which of you is Cassandra?"

"I am," both Cassie and her companion replied.

Cassie glanced at Cassandra and in the light of the torches, she could see her for the first time. Cassandra was small, slight of build, and at the moment, very frail looking. Her long dark hair was matted, her face streaked with grime and her clothing tattered. Under the dirt, Cassie could see bruises on Cassandra's face and arms. Despite her disheveled appearance, it was clear that she had once been very beautiful. Now, she gazed back at Cassie, her dark eyes a mixture of curiosity and despair.

"I am not amused," Clytemnestra said. "Which of you is Cassandra?"

"I am." Once again, both of them spoke.

Clytemnestra's face darkened with rage. "So, you think you can play games with me? Well, you have earned another day in this cold cell with no food or water. Tonight, we will see who still feels playful. But know this, Cassandra the seer will die before the sun rises again. One of you _may_ leave here, one of you will perish. If you do not tell me what I want to know, I will kill you both."

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Flynn reminded himself to take Ezekiel a little more seriously in the future. Granted, Ezekiel was a bit dramatic at times and was not always the most honest of people, but this time he certainly was not exaggerating or fabricating when he described the discomfort of this particular mode of travel. Now, if only these guys with spears, swords, knives and other sharp objects would just allow him a minute or two to recover.

Flynn's splashy entrance into the god king's throne room sent a bevy of lovely toga clad ladies screaming and scurrying out of the sumptuous chamber. However frightening his abrupt appearance was to the women, it certainly was not, in Flynn's opinion, causing the slightest bit of concern with the guards. And while his secret weapon- a boyish grin that was guaranteed to melt the heart of any female within eyesight- was not likely to be effective with these muscular goons, Flynn thought he'd give a try anyway.

Flashing his secret power grin, he said, "Hello, boys!"

They were not impressed.

Perhaps the grin might have been more effective if Flynn wasn't lying flat on his back on the floor. With one finger, he gingerly moved the tip of the nearest spear a few more inches to the side of his left eyeball. "I believe I will stand up now. It would be very kind of you to refrain from skewering me while I do so."

To their credit, the guards did step back an inch or two, though no one lowered their weapon so much as a millimeter. He was still surrounded by armed hostiles but at least he was on his feet now. That was progress, right?

Flynn tried the grin again, aiming for harmless and charming. "How do you do? My name is Flynn Carsen and I am a Librarian." No reaction. They stared at him fixedly. Flynn was sure that at least one of them was picturing him on a dinner plate.

"I have come to see…um…the great and powerful Zeus. Could you take me to him, please?"

Flynn noted that the guards to the left and right all cast furtive glances at the one directly in front. _Ah, the alpha dog._ Flynn took a step forward and met the man's steely eyed glare.

"I am asking politely, sir, but my patience runs thin. Take me to your leader at once!"

Flynn groaned inwardly. Did he really just say that? Take me to your leader? Lame. Totally lame. Surrounded by stone cold killers and he blurted out dialogue from 1960's space alien movies. _Let's hope these guys don't have Netflix._

Drawing in a deep breath, he squinted his eyes in what he hoped was a Schwarzenegger worthy scowl and deepened his voice to match. "Zeus. Take me. Now."

The guard blinked. Yeah, that alpha dog guard just blinked and took a step back. _Oh, yeah. I got him now. He's intimidated. He's about to fold like a pup tent!_

The guard turned to leave. And over his shoulder he nonchalantly tossed an order at the remaining guards.

"Kill him."

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"Why did you do that? I asked you not to do that. You do not need to sacrifice yourself for me," Cassandra said.

Though she knew what direction Cassandra was in, Cassie found herself disoriented once the door slammed shut on the inky darkness. Following the sound of her companion's voice, Cassie carefully crawled across the earthen floor until she reached the wall. Reaching out blindly, she swept her arm gently back and forth until she found Cassandra, sliding over until they were huddled together sharing some warmth.

"I know, I know," Cassie said, "but I just can't let them do this to you. It's not fair. It's not right."

"It is what it is."

"Well, it's wrong. I don't have a curse, Cassandra. I have a sickness, a thing that is growing in my brain. It is going to kill me soon. Let me help you. You have the chance to live through this. Wouldn't your family want that for you?"

Cassandra choked out a dry bitter chuckle. "My family. No, I do not believe they would care overmuch."

"You can't mean that," Cassie said. "I am sure they loved you."

"My sisters and I were quite spoiled. Pampered really. They were each very pretty. But people used to say that I was the loveliest. And being the loveliest meant that I would get the finest match. This made my sisters envy me. I do not think they liked me much though I loved them."

"Match?"

"Of course. A husband. I was to be married to the suitor with the most wealth and highest rank. My sisters would be matched with high ranking officials, but I would be wed to nothing less than a prince of a powerful realm."

Cassie shook her head. "That's awful! How could they plan out the rest of your life for you, making that decision, not caring about how you felt? How could they do that to a child they loved?"

"My parents loved me for what they believed I would bring to them and to Troy. A marital union with a powerful ally would bolster our own power and wealth. They valued this above all else. If I did not for fill my destiny, their disappointment would have been great."

Cassie silently contemplated this. She had never had any siblings but she did know a thing or two about disappointing parents. It seemed that she and Cassandra had more in common than just a name.

"I am so very thirsty," Cassandra whispered in her rough cracked voice.

"Me, too. And cold. It's so cold."

Cassie felt the weight of Cassandra's head resting on her shoulder and heard her breath slowing. Wasn't there something about not falling asleep when it was cold? Cassie couldn't quite remember, but what did it really matter anyway? She rested her head against Cassandra's, closed her eyes and slipped into a fitful doze.

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Jake thought of himself as an honest man. He held himself to high standards and ethics in all things. He despised frauds and liars. And it was exactly those admirable qualities that were going to make this so difficult. Taking a deep breath, he mentally prepared himself to tell a whole lot of bold-faced lies.

"Atlas!" Jake said with as much distress as he could muster. "Thank goodness you have returned!"

Atlas didn't seem to be trying to hide his smirk though Jake's demeanor had caught his attention. He held up a bejeweled book and replied, "Of course, mortal. I made an oath to return with the book. "

"Yes, sir, and I do appreciate that. But sir, I cannot give you back the planet."

"What?" said Atlas, clearly caught off guard.

"No, sir. Please hear me out. I know you have done me a great boon by obtaining the book. And I am eternally grateful, but sir, I must beg of you another favor."

Atlas was momentarily stunned. "Indeed?"

"Yes, sir," Jake continued. "You see, I had a visitor in your absence. It was an old guy, white hair, beard, called himself Lex. Do you know him?"

"No, I do not know of this person."

"Well, anyway. This Lex guy told me that he saw my friends- the other Librarians- in his travels. Apparently they came here after me but were caught and imprisoned by the goddess Artemis. Their lives are in danger, Atlas. I know I am no match for a goddess, but you could defeat her and save my friends. Please, Atlas, I beg of you. Save my friends and I will carry this planet for you forever!"

Atlas smiled. "You have yourself a deal, mortal. The planet is yours. I will leave at once."

"Um, wait. Before you go, I wonder if you could just help me with one little thing."

"Yes?"

"It's really damn hot out here to be wearing flannel and I sure would appreciate it if you could help me get this shirt off. And maybe you could just roll it up and place it on my shoulders as padding, because Planet Earth sure does chafe, you know?"

Atlas placed the book on the ground and strode to Jake. He tugged ineffectually on the shirt with a bewildered look on his face. "How does this thing work?"

"You have to unbutton it. See those little round things? You have to push each of them through the little holes behind 'em."

Atlas fumbled with the buttons in growing frustration as his large fingers failed to manipulate the troublesome little disks through the holes. "I cannot do this, mortal," he said. "You do it."

And without another thought, Atlas reached out and snatched the planet from Jake's grasp.

Yep, it was just that easy.

Jake stepped deftly out of Atlas' grasp and scooped up the book. He turned to Atlas and gave him a small bow. "Thank you, sir. Appreciate your assistance."

"You tricked me."

"I did, yes."

"You tricked me after I honored my oath to you."

"Well, yes. But let's be honest here. You only made the oath to get the book and return. You never had any intention of actually taking the planet back."

"You can't know that."

"I can and do know that. I read the book. Our book, that is."

Atlas narrowed his eyes and growled.

Jake explained, "In our book of myths, a hero named Hercules asked for your assistance in procuring some golden apples from a garden guarded by your daughters. In that story, you never had any intentions of taking the planet back either. Hercules fooled you into helping him remove his cape, much the same as I did with my shirt."

"I see. Well, thank you for that explanation, mortal. When Hercules does come, I will be ready."

"Perhaps," Jake said. "Perhaps not. That story is about Hercules' quest. As you are not the focal character in that tale, I would hazard a guess that the Atlas in that story will not know the events of today. I could be wrong about that. I guess we just have to see."

Jake stretched and rolled his aching shoulders. He smiled and nodded at Atlas, tucked the book under his arm and strolled away.

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"Cassandra."

Cassie felt Cassandra's weigh lift as she sat up. She opened her eyes to a soft glow. Blinking several times to clear her blurry vision, a figure slowly came into focus. It was the most beautiful man that Cassie had ever seen. He had golden curls over a chiseled face that boasted the most striking crystal blue eyes. There was a soft glow about him that illuminated his breathtaking features. He crouched before them regarding Cassandra with a laser beam intensity.

Cassie gasped. "Who are you?"

The beautiful man turned towards her, clearly irritated. "Be still. I have no come for you." He touched her arm briefly and Cassie felt herself sliding bonelessly to the floor. She could not speak, could not move her arms or legs. She could still see and hear, though the images were fuzzy and the voices seemed far away.

"What did you do to her?" Cassandra asked.

"I merely gave her twilight. I will not brook her interruption."

"Apollo." Cassandra let out a long weary sigh. "What do you want?"

"I am sorry," he said simply.

"You are sorry? Well, that just fixes everything, doesn't it?"

"Cassandra. I loved you."

"You loved me? Love? You cursed me! You destroyed my life!"

"I gave you the gift of prophecy. I taught you to use it."

"Yes, and then you cursed me so that no one would ever believe me. You condemned me to a life of seeing the future, knowing that disaster was coming and not being able to stop it because no one believed me. I watched my parents die. I watched my city burn to the ground. I saw all that coming, Apollo. I saw it and could not stop it. They called me mad. Do not speak to me of love!"

"You made me angry."

"Yes. I angered you by refusing your so called love." Cassandra heaved another heavy sigh. "Why have you come, Apollo?"

"I wanted to say I was sorry. You should not have angered me. But perhaps your punishment was too harsh."

"Yet, you did not remove the curse before my entire world burned."

"Once given by a god, it cannot be taken away."

"And have you come to save me?"

"No. My father, Zeus, has chastised me for meddling in the affairs of mortals."

"Then go. Just go! Let me face my death in peace."

Apollo stood. "I cannot undo what has been done," he said softly, "and I cannot stop what will be done this day. But I do regret what my actions have wrought. Is there nothing else I can do for you?"

Cassandra was silent for a time. "There is one small boon you can grant me. This woman-this other Cassandra- until they have taken me away, please keep her in twylight else she will try to save me."

"You could let her."

"No. I will not. I am weary and my heart is broken into too many pieces to ever repair. I have lost everything. There is nothing more I wish to live for. And indeed, my end on this day truly is my destiny." Cassandra smiled sadly. "I have foreseen it."


	13. Chapter 13

Author's note: I do not own characters and make no profit. Many thanks to my beta, Valawenel. Also- I received a wonderful review that I could not respond to because it was from a guest. Among the many kind words in this review, the guest stated that he/she would be reading this story a second time. I can't imagine a more complimentry thing to say. Just wanted to send out a huge thank you to that guest. You really made my day.

Chapter 13, I Must Be Dreaming

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Jake walked through the barren landscape. It felt good to stretch the stiffness from his legs and his sore shoulders. The sun was still beating down relentlessly and his flannel shirt had long since been peeled off. He needed to think. He had to figure out how to get home using the book and he certainly wasn't going to be able to focus on the problem while Atlas was snarling and glaring at him. So, he walked.

There was nothing but rocks and sand as far as he could see. Whistling a country tune- his favorite technique for relaxing his mind- Jake thought fondly of cheeseburgers and sunglasses. When he decided he had finally put sufficient distance between himself and the angry planet-wielding Titan, he chose an outcropping of rocks for support and partial shade, and sat down with a grateful sigh.

It was time to get to work. Jake began with an inspection of the book's elegant cover. As he ran his fingertips over the jewel encrusted leather, he thought he felt a faint tingle. The book was beautiful. He would have been happy to spend a month examining this extraordinary item, but his first priority was finding a way home. That tingly feeling in his fingers was reminiscent of what he had felt the instant before he was violently pulled from his own world and unceremoniously dumped in this one. This was an encouraging finding. It meant that this book was likely to have the same magical properties as the one in the Library. He would need to understand how the transportation was triggered, though.

Turning the book on its side, Jake stared in disbelief at the title- The Librarians. Heart pounding, he opened the book to the first chapter. It told the tale of Librarian Flynn Carsen meeting the NATO operative who would soon become his Guardian. Jumping ahead several chapters, he found an illustration that commanded his attention. In it, the Library Annex was depicted with a man reaching towards a jewel encrusted book with another man and a red headed woman at his side.

Forgetting his former sense of urgency about returning home, Jake settled into a comfortable position and began to read. He was so engrossed in the narrative that he lost all sense of time. He read Eve's account of the battle in Athena's temple. He shook his head in dismay at Ezekiel's fruitless attempt at saving him and worried about what it had cost him emotionally to try. His hands trembled when he read that Cassandra had vanished into the book and growled under his breath when he read that Flynn had hatched a dangerous plan of his own. _Those idiots!_

Though he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know how this chapter was going to end, Jake read on.

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Though she could not speak or move, Cassie was still aware. She heard the door open, saw Clytemnestra by the torches flickering light. In her mind, she was screaming _no_ though her voice was silenced while Cassandra bravely declared that she was the true seer. Cassie heard the slam of the door and the turn of the key in the lock. She heard footsteps receding as Cassandra was taken away.

She knew the instant that control of her body was returned to her. She knew that she could speak, scream, move. She knew that she could get to her feet and use her fists to pound on the door. She did none of these things. What would be the point?

A teardrop slowly trickled down her cheek and Cassie wondered how her thirsty body could spare even that one tiny drop of precious liquid. Her back and hip ached from Hera's attack. Her throat was parched and felt as if a fire was burning within. Her head thundered with pain as if a thousand hammers pounded on the inside of her skull. And she was cold, so very cold.

She knew also, that Clytemnestra would not be freeing her.

Cassie closed her eyes and welcomed death. She thought it would not be long. This was the moment that she had been waiting for since she was 15 years old. So certain was she that the end was near, she first mistook the soft glow for an angel come to escort her. But no. Apollo had returned. And though he had the face of an angel, Cassie knew better than to think his goodness went any deeper.

Apollo stood and gazed at her impassively for several minutes. Finally, he crouched down beside her and with unexpected gentleness, he brushed her hair back from her face. The pain in her back and hips flowed from her body like sand in an hourglass and her chill was replaced with a glorious warmth. The fire in her throat cooled and for the first time in as long as she could remember, she was headache free.

"Nothing hurts anymore. Am I dead?"

Apollo chuckled. "No. I merely removed your pain. I am the god of healing, you know."

"Cassandra is gone. They took her away."

"I know."

"I think they killed her. I think she is dead."

"I know. She is."

"You didn't try to save her?"

"No."

"Are you going to save me?"

"No."

"Then why are you here? Why did you heal my wounds?"

Apollo stood and turned away from Cassie as if he could not bear the sight of her. He was silent for so long that Cassie was certain that he was not going to respond to her questions. She blinked in surprise when he abruptly whirled to face her. He shrugged and gave a small shake of his head as he said, "I don't know. I really don't know."

And then he was gone and Cassie was alone in the darkness once more.

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"Oh, no, that won't be necessary! Let's just slow down here. We should have a little talk. There's no need for roughness or, you know, killing stuff." Flynn's captors paid no attention to his desperate pleas as they hauled him towards the door. A guard on either side dragged him by his upper arms with so much force that his feet barely touched the floor. He was being brought outside presumably so he wouldn't bleed all over the polished marble floor.

"Listen, I have important information for Zeus! It's about _the book._ You know, the book that Athena sent? That book is dangerous. Zeus will want to hear what I have to say."

The guards seemed oblivious to Flynn's words though he saw the one he thought of as Alpha Dog pause at the door.

"I am sure you saw Hermes arrive. He was delivering a very important book to Zeus, as a gift from Athena," Flynn said, "but there are things that Zeus does not know about that book. You guys could be in big trouble with the boss when he finds out that you killed the only guy that could have warned him about that book's unique properties."

Alpha turned and slowly walked back to face Flynn. "And what would those unique properties be?"

"Oh, no," Flynn said, shaking his head firmly. "I will only speak to The Big Guy."

"You will speak to me or you will die here and now," Alpha responded.

Flynn made a mental note of the truly intimidating scowl on Alpha's face. And the voice? It was wonderfully low, and growly. You could totally believe that this dude was about to rip your head off. Alpha really had the scary Schwarzenegger thing down pat. If Flynn wasn't pressed for time, he might ask the guy for a few lessons. Unfortunately, time was of the essence, so Flynn steeled himself to face down Alpha. Making the effort to appear considerably more confident than he actually felt, Flynn stepped closer to Alpha and met his stare unflinchingly.

"I guess I will die right here and now, because I will not be sharing any secrets with you."

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Deep in the darkness, there was a brief scratching sound followed by a click, and a tiny flame burst into life. It seemed to float upward. Cassie thought she was dreaming. Or perhaps this was a hallucination born of the tumor in her brain.

The delicate flame spread through the torch on the wall sconce until the room was lit with a golden flickering glow. In the welcome new light, Cassie could see another stranger. This was an old man. He had flowing white hair and a long beard. His eyes twinkled with interest and he had a kind smile.

"You must be Cassandra, the Librarian. It is a great pleasure to meet you, my dear."

"Who are you? Am I dreaming?"

"No, not at all. I am quite real. You may call me Lex."

"Have you come to kill me?"

"Of course not, dear child. I simply wanted the great honor of meeting you. I know what you tried to do for the other Cassandra. That was selfless and very brave."

"Not really. I am going to die anyway. I just figured that one of us could live," Cassie said.

"And you had hoped that your death would not be in vain."

"Yes, exactly."

"What else do you hope for, Cassandra?"

"Why? Why do you want to know?"

"Hope is a very important thing. I wonder if you know how powerful hope can be."

"Of course I do. I am dying of cancer. But I never gave up the hope that a cure would be found in time for me. And even though there has not been a cure, I have lived for years longer than any of my doctors predicted. There is always hope."

"Good girl. For a few moments there, I was worried that you had forgotten that. I feared that you had given up hope."

"Maybe. Maybe I really was giving up. But where there is life, there is hope."

"I quite agree! I said as much to your friend, Jacob."

"Jake? You saw Jake? Is he okay?"

"He is well. Have you heard him sing? He has the voice of an angel, you know. I was quite impressed by his talent."

"Did he get the planet off his shoulders?"

"No. Not as yet. But I trust it will be soon."

"When? How? Can you take me to him?"

Lex just smiled. Cassie saw a small green plastic cylinder in his hand. As he dropped it into the pocket of his robe, Cassie caught a brief glimpse and wondered _Is that a lighter?_ But her attention was immediately shifted to the leather bag on his shoulder, much like the satchel that Flynn always carried on jobs. Lex dug his arm deep into the bag and after some rummaging, he triumphantly pulled a notebook from the bag.

 _I am dreaming,_ Cassie thought. _First I think I am seeing a Bic lighter and now this old guy is brandishing a spiral bound binder. This is just a dream._

"No. Not a dream," Lex said in response though Cassie was certain she had not spoken aloud. He flipped through the notebook until he found what he sought and tore a few pages out.

"None of this makes sense. I am not hungry or thirsty anymore. Nothing hurts. You look like you belong here but you are carrying things that definitely don't belong here. If I am not dreaming…I am dead, aren't I? Are you an angel?"

"No, my dear. You are alive and Apollo has healed your injuries. As for me, I can assure you that I am no angel and no deity. Just a fellow traveler." Lex eased himself down to sit next to Cassie. "Ah, these old bones. Today I feel my age with every creak and groan of every joint."

"Apollo? He was really here? I didn't dream that either?"

Lex smiled kindly and held up the first notebook page for her to see. It contained a sketch of a bruised and dirty woman with long tangled hair. A beautiful curly haired man knelt before her gently brushing a wisp of hair from her cheek.

"Is that me?"

"Yes."

"And Apollo?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand."

Lex shrugged. "I did not wish to see you in such pain and I could not bear it if you lost your hope, so I sent him."

"You? You sent him?"

"Yes."

"I really don't understand. Wait. Wait. Oh. Your name- is it just Lex? Or is Lex short for something else?"

Lex threw back his head and laughed with gusto. "You are really quite brilliant, Cassandra Cillian! It is short for Alexander, actually."

Cassie gazed at Lex in wonder. "You are…"

But Lex was no longer paying her any attention. He placed the sketch aside and intently flipped through his remaining notebook pages, each covered in writing from top to bottom. When he reached the last page, he nodded in satisfaction. "Tell me something, Cassandra. What do you hope for the most? Above all else?"

Cassie didn't need to think about that answer. "I hope that Jake gets home safely."

"I thought as much." Lex took her hand in his and just before he pressed the notebook page into her palm, he said, "You might wish to close your eyes, my dear."


	14. Chapter 14

Author's note: I do not own the characters and make no profit. As always, sincere thanks to my beta, Valawenal.

Chapter 14, Gauntlets and the Goddess

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"I see you have figured it out."

Jake wasn't surprised to find he was no longer alone. And he wasn't surprised to discover who his companion was. He reckoned he should have been, but he wasn't.

Reluctantly dragging his attention away from the book, he looked up at the older gentleman who was comfortably sprawled against a large rock just a few feet across from him. The fact that the elderly man simply appeared without Jake noticing his arrival also failed to surprise him.

"Hello, Alexander."

Lex smiled. "Ah, so you have figured that out as well! Excellent! Mr. Stone, I am quite impressed. And I am most eager to know will you now use the book to go to those particular times to stop your friends from suffering the emotional trauma of those events?"

Jake gave Lex a narrow eyed scowl. "I can't do that, now can I? This chapter on The Book of Myths takes place in the Library Annex as each of the characters makes a plan and then relates their particular experience. As the characters are in the Annex telling their stories after the fact, the Annex would be the only location I could travel to."

Lex nodded in approval. "Quite correct, Mr. Stone. Over the centuries, there have been very few who have understood that concept. Your…er, Jenkins, is it now? Yes, Jenkins. He was one of the few. "

"Jenkins? He knew about this and let us all suffer the experience anyway?"

"Well, perhaps I should rephrase that. He once knew. But as he returned to his world just prior to leaving it, and found a way to prevent himself from repeating the mistake, he would have no memory of it."

Jake was fascinated. "How did he do that?"

"Gloves." Lex chuckled. "It was elegant in its simplicity. He was a librarian back then and was on a quest to acquire the Book of Myths for safe storage in the Library."

"And where, exactly, did he find a pair of gloves in the midst of Ancient Greek mythology?"

"Oh, they were his. Gauntlets, actually. All those knights wore gauntlets back then."

"I see," Jake said. "Please continue."

"Lan…um, Jenkins put a glove on one hand and held the other glove while he touched the page depicting his quest. He simply took himself back to that quest, to the moment he first touched the book, but this time he found himself wearing a glove and carrying the mate. He probably didn't retain his memory of his experience here long enough to know why, but finding himself suddenly and inexplicably wearing a gauntlet, and knowing magic as he does, he would not have hesitated to don the second glove. Simply brilliant."

"I don't suppose you have a spare set of gauntlets handy?"

"Will you be needing them, Mr. Stone?"

Jake sighed and considered his response. "I suppose not."

Lex's eyes twinkled as he regarded Jake with an impish grin. "Do tell me why."

"Well," Jake said, "I could do what Jenkins did and prevent all this from happening. I could spare Eve from the wound she received during the battle in Athena's temple, I could prevent Ezekiel from being exposed to all the evils of the world, I could save Cassie from the physical and emotional pain she was subjected to, and I could save Flynn from…a few bruises."

"Yes. But you hesitate to do so. Why?"

Jake speared Lex with a clear eyed stare. "You tell me, Lex. You are the author of all this. You placed us all here and then moved us about like chess pieces."

Lex flinched. "Not precisely true, Mr. Stone. I may have written the original tales of the Gods and the mortals and their interactions, but each of you have inserted yourselves into the story and your actions have altered it. That chapter you just read? You and your friends authored it, not me."

"You are saying that you had no role in the creation of this chapter?"

Lex shrugged and looked away. "I may have added a detail or two."

"Such as?"

The old man sighed and returned his gaze to meet Jake 's unflinching stare. "I helped. Just a little. I gave Eve a bit of extra speed so that the sword would hit her ribs instead of piercing her heart. And I may have written in a tree root for Ezekiel to trip over. Just some little things."

"And what did you do for Cassie?"

"You know what I did for Cassie," Lex replied. "I sent Apollo to ease her suffering."

"Is that all he did?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You know exactly what I mean," Jake said firmly. "What. Did. Apollo. Do?"

"I don't know. I really do not know for certain. You do not understand how this works," Lex said, shrugging.

"Enlighten me." Jake crossed his arms.

"I am not a wizard, you know." When Jake raised an eyebrow in skepticism, Lex hastened to explain. "If I am a wizard, I am one without training. It has taken me centuries of trial and error to determine what little I do know about my abilities."

"What do you know?"

"I know that I write characters that come to life and worlds that become real. But once birthed, these characters have a certain amount of free will. I can write in some plot guidelines, you see, but the characters seem to write their own stories. Take you, for instance. Taking that planet from Atlas? Developing and carrying out the plan to escape? That was all you, Jacob. I wrote none of it."

Jake shook his head slowly. "But I am not one of your characters, now am I?"

"Aren't you?"

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Flynn stood tall and steady. He maintained unblinking eye contact with Alpha. His stance was relaxed, hands by his sides without so much as a tremor. No one would ever guess that he wanted quite badly to throw up and run from the room screaming like a little girl.

And there was that blink again. Alpha had a tell. Flynn knew that Alpha was giving consideration to backing down. _Who says all those late night poker games with Jenkins were wasted?_ But just as it appeared that Alpha would speak, the decision was taken from him.

"What is happening here?" a female voice demanded. Flynn pictured ice-sickles dripping from those words.

Alpha and the guards reacted immediately. "Mistress," they said as they all dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. Flynn's reaction was not quite so swift. He lost precious seconds staring at the newcomer, a tall, imposing, but attractive middle aged woman draped in finery.

The chill of her words was offset by the heat of her anger. Belatedly, Flynn realized the anger was directed at him and promptly dropped to one knee, bowing his head as well. "Pardon me…Your Highness?" _Exactly what was the proper way to address a goddess? Must do some research on that._

"Mistress Hera", Alpha said, "We captured this intruder and were just about to put him to death for trespassing in the sacred chambers of Zeus."

"Then be done with it. Quickly."

 _Hera…wife of Zeus…_ Flynn thought. _Zeus, who cheated on her regularly. Jealous, angry Hera. Hera who was severely punished by Zeus when she dared to challenge him. Hera, who thereafter resorted to passive aggressive acts of revenge…_

"Mistress, Great Goddess Hera, Your Highness," Flynn thought he would cover all the bases. "I come with a warning of grave danger for His Greatness Mighty Zeus."

Peering cautiously up, Flynn could see that he had captured her attention. Encouraged by this, he sprang to his feet and was promptly and roughly snared by Alpha and another guard. Arms twisted brutally behind him, he had a moment of panic, wondering if he had lost his chance to pull this off. With great relief, he saw that Hera was intrigued.

"Speak, mortal. Tell me of this danger."

"It is a book, Your Majesty," Flynn said, "a book that was sent as a gift by Athena."

"And?"

"Your Incredible Amazingness, the book is magic and is very dangerous."

"And you would know this how?"

"I am a Librarian." At Hera's sudden glare, Flynn hastened to add, "Your Beautiness".

"A Librarian? As in the fairy tales? You waste my time!"

 _Ooops. Wrong strategy._

"No, My Goddess of Great Kindness and Patience," Flynn said, "I am an actual librarian, an archivist. I collect and study rare books that have, um, special properties. That is how I learned of this one."

Unlike his colleague Jake, who had yet to develop the skill, Flynn was confident in his ability to glibly lie with absolute conviction whenever needed. But Hera's penetrating stare exposed her as a formidable opponent in the falsehood game. Flynn desperately hoped that the small bits of truthfulness in his explanation would lend sincerity and credence to his lie.

After an uncomfortable silence, Hera raised her chin and looked down at him like a bug she might decide to step on. "Go on, mortal. Tell me of this danger."

With a small sigh of relief, Flynn continued. "Oh, Excellent One. This book is safe to handle except for a single page. The page is several chapters in and has a terrible effect on whoever reads it."

"What effect?"

"Well, Your Serene Goddessness, if the reader is a woman, she is instantly transformed into a hag so ugly that no one can gaze upon her."

"And if the reader is a man?" Hera's voice was soft and flowed like honey. Flynn felt a chill that had little to do with temperature and everything to do with the sheer terror that voice invoked.

"If the reader is a man…" At Hera's stormy look, Flynn quickly said, "Your Astounding Magnificence!"

"Yes, yes! Finish! What does it do to a man?"

"Ah, a very terrible thing of which I shudder to speak, Great Goddess of Goodness." Flynn was starting to run out of adjectives. _Was it proper etiquette to repeat a honorific? Really must do some research…_

"Speak!" Hera commanded in a voice that brooked no argument.

"Yes, Your Invincible Greatness. If a man reads it, he will become…impotent."

"Really?" Hera practically purred. "For how long?"

"Forever, Gracious Goddess. Forever."

"Release him at once." Hera flicked a gesture towards the guards. "I believe the archivist and I will have a word with my husband."

Hera's smile made Flynn feel like his bones were dissolving in acid.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's note- I do not own characters and make no profit. Sincere thanks to my beta, Valawenal.

Chapter 15, There's No Place Like Home

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"I am not," Jake said injecting as much emphasis as he could on the words, "one of your characters."

Lex smiled and said nothing.

"I'm not."

"As you wish, Jacob. You still haven't told me. Why do you hesitate to try to solve this by preventing it from happening?" Lex stroked his long white beard thoughtfully.

"And you still haven't told me what Apollo did to Cassie."

Lex flicked a hand as if to swat away the comment. "I believe I did explain this to you. I sent Apollo to heal her injuries. She was in distress and I felt for her."

"You know what I am getting at," Jake said. His clipped words belied his impatience. "What exactly did he heal?"

"You can ask over and over and over again. My answer remains the same. I do not know. You want me to tell you that Apollo cured her cancer. I truly wish that I could, but I honestly do not know what Apollo did. Free will, remember? I used my writing to urge him to go to Cassandra. I wrote the idea of helping her. To some extent, I succeeded. But Apollo is selfish and arrogant. He thinks only of his own pleasure because that was how I created him. Selfless acts are not in his nature. I am sorry, Jacob."

Jake bowed his head and regarded his clenched hands. "If I do not prevent all this from happening, does that mean that it really did?"

"Does the Guardian Eve have scars from her battle in Athena's temple?"

"So, to summarize" Jake said, "I can prevent all this and my friends will not have suffered. But if Apollo really did cure Cassie's cancer, then that will not have happened either."

"A dilemma, to be sure."

"How do I decide? How can I make a decision that will impact them so much? I am not a Titan or a Greek god. I don't want to toy with their lives like this."

"Yet another question I cannot answer for you."

Jake smiled wryly. "I thought you said I was one of your characters. Shouldn't you be writing this answer for me?"

Lex returned the smile. "I thought you insisted that you most certainly were not one of my characters! Alas, my dear Librarian, you will need to be the author of your own decision. I have no doubt that you will look deep into that grand heart of yours and make the best choice."

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"Zeus, dear. This mortal has very important information for you."

"Hera, be gone. I am busy."

 _Busy reading the book! By golly, this plan is going to work!_ Flynn controlled his urge to do a little happy dance.

"I think you will want to hear what he has to say, dear husband. He claims that the book you are so engrossed in has some perilous qualities. But if you are too busy…" Hera said, barely trying to hide the disdain in her tone.

Zeus growled and looked up. He was big. His long hair and beard flowed down and over what appeared to be a quiver full of lightning bolts. Flynn took an unconscious step back. Was he imagining it or were those actual sparks shooting out from the god's eyes? He gulped and lost any desire for happy dancing.

Zeus spoke…well, actually it was more of a roar. "What? What is so very important that you interrupt my reading?"

Nonplussed, Hera gestured Flynn forward. "Mortal, take the book and show my husband the _exact_ page you told me of."

Flynn thought that Hera had the creepiest smile he had ever seen, and dealing with creepy entities was the first line item in his job description. Zeus, however, was showing no signs of relinquishing his hold on the book and was regarding him with a chilling scrutiny.

"Ah, Great and Powerful Zeus," Flynn said, "you should look at page 157."

Hera's breathing quickened in anticipation while Flynn felt that the air in the room had suddenly grown thin. Zeus looked from Hera to Flynn and then back to Hera again. She stood her ground complacently. Flynn stood his ground as well, though his ground felt like it was experiencing an earthquake that would rate a 6 on the Richter scale.

Flynn had just about given up hope of success and was surreptitiously scoping out possible escape exits when Zeus looked down at the book and slowly began to turn the pages.

 _Excellent. I just need him to keep turning those pages until he gets to the right one. I'll just casually reach over to point out the page and touch it. Gotta remember the emotion part. Only gonna get one shot at this. I need to really want to go into that book. Focus, focus. Think desire. Think need. Think want. Gotta really feel it to make this work._

"Page 157," Zeus said. "And what is so perilous about this page?"

Before Flynn could respond, the door to the chamber flew inward with a splintering crash. In strode an enormous muscular giant of a man.

"Zeus, you traitorous wretch!"

"Atlas! Who released you? I will end you both!" Zeus shouted as he pulled a crackling hot lightning bolt from his quiver and hurled it across the room.

 _Oh, crap!_ Flynn leaped at the book and thrust his hand onto the open page. _I really want to get outta here!_

His hand tingled, and a bright light seared into his cornea. Flynn heard a booming sound though he couldn't quite tell if it was from the book or the thunder that accompanied the lightning bolts flying overhead.

With a gut wrenching pull, Flynn was yanked from the god's chambers and dumped in another world. He landed with a splash. He was on his butt, waist high in cold salty water and feeling very confused.

A beautiful woman stood before him, head tilted with a questioning look on her face.

Flynn had a thought. He knew it was an important thought. But like a dream that slips away in the early morning light, he could not seem to hold onto it.

"Book…" Flynn muttered, trying desperately to tug on the last shreds of memory as they fled from his mind.

"Flynn?" the woman spoke with a melodious French accent. "What book? I thought we were going to use the cannon."

"Cannon?" Flynn examined his surroundings in wonder and confusion. They were in some type of wreckage. "Where are we?"

"Cherie, are you injured? Did you hit your head? We are trapped in the pirate's ship. You said we could use the cannon to escape. Mon Dieu, Flynn! What is wrong with you?"

"Cannon! Yes, of course! That is exactly what we will do!" All traces of that nebulous thought about an important book and the sense of urgency that accompanied it evaporated. Flynn felt energized as he leapt to his feet. He tugged the strap of his leather satchel up over his head and tossed the bag carelessly aside onto a broken wooden beam, where it toppled off onto the flooded deck with a soft splash.

"Simone! Help me move this cannon! We need to turn it to face that wall."

Flynn and Simone laboriously pushed the rusted cannon across the ruined deck of the pirate ship. Nearby, water seeped into Flynn's satchel and soaked the notebook within. Ink floated off the paper as the words blurred until all that was written was illegible.

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Jenkins turned the knob and cautiously opened the door to the main room of the Annex. Almost as one, Eve, Ezekiel and Jenkins leaned in for a look.

Flynn sat passively at the table in the center of the room, precisely where they had left him. He was staring blankly at the Book of Myths, which was somehow emanating an air of innocence.

"Flynn?" Eve entered, gesturing for the men to follow. "Did you go?"

"Yup."

"And?"

"Epic fail."

"What happened, mate?" Ezekiel asked. Eve could feel his breathing on her neck as he craned his head to see over her shoulder. Using the discipline of her strict military training, she resisted the urge to swat him.

"It wasn't page 157."

"Mr. Carsen," Jenkins said with his trademark huff of annoyance, "perhaps you could be a tad less cryptic in your explanation of your endeavor and put a modicum of effort into debriefing us."

Flynn grimaced at the rebuke, glancing at Eve for emotional support. She stared back at him with what her fellow soldiers used to refer to as 'Eve's Stone Face'. When he still failed to answer, she snarled and said, "Spill it, Librarian."

"My plan hit a small snag. It was working smoothly until this huge, angry guy came storming in and Zeus started throwing lightning… _actual_ lightning, mind you. And I was a bit too busy dodging lightning bolts to notice that the book wasn't open to the precise page I wanted. And it turned out to be a much earlier chapter, like way earlier, even way before you folks came along. It was actually an interesting story. I don't know if I told you about this one or not, but I was trapped in a pirate ship with this gorgeous lady vampire and…"

"Flynn!" they shouted simultaneously.

"What? It was a good story." His voice faded out in the heat of their collective glare. "Okay. Sorry. There was water."

"Water," Eve said dully.

"Yeah. Lots of it. My bag got soaked. The notebook got soaked. All the pages were wet and the ink ran. I never actually got to read the stuff I wrote. It was illegible. I ended up throwing that journal away."

Eve heaved a tired sigh. "Great. Now what?"

"Perhaps we should…" Jenkins began to speak but his words were abruptly aborted.

A blinding light flashed through the room as the floor shook with such force that Eve was knocked off her feet. For an instant she saw Flynn, his mouth opened in a surprised O as he was flung from his chair. She neither saw nor heard Jenkins, though a high pitched yelp from behind her put a location to Ezekiel. Then, all sound was eclipsed by a swooshy boom.

Eve found herself flat on her back, looking up at the high ornate ceiling a few stories above. The book-filled mezzanines circled the main room. While she had used the mezzanines countless times, she couldn't recall a time that she had actually taken a moment to study that very impressive ceiling. Her revery was interupted by a moan from one of her colleagues, though she couldn't identify which one.

Eve's brain instructed her to get up and check the status of her charges. Her body said no. A compromise was in order.

Remaining on the floor while her body took inventory of possible injuries, she mustered up enough energy to do a roll call. "Flynn! You okay?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"Jenkins?"

"I am a bit shaken but essentially unharmed, Col. Baird."

"Ezekiel?"

"This crap needs to stop. I mean, like right now. It's a bloody wonder I haven't broken any bones. What if I broke fingers? Huh? Do you even know how important healthy fingers are to a thief? Have you any idea what kind of precision goes into picking a pocket? My fingers are delicate instruments! My fingers are like Picasso's brushes. Do you even care that…"

"Ezekiel! Stuff it! Are you okay or not?" Eve indulged in an eye roll that her headache promptly led her to regret.

"Yeah. I'm okay."

"Me, too."

"Good. Now that we know that everyone is….Cassie?"

"Yeah. Me, too. I'm okay, too."

"Cassie?" With a speed that she immediately regretted, Eve sat up and stared. She spared a few seconds to explore the thought that she had hit her head harder than she realized. She swiveled her head- slowly and gently this time- to examine her colleagues. Their identical incredulous stares confirmed her own shocked perception.

There before them, also sprawled on the floor, was a young woman. She was covered in grime, dressed in tatters, and had tangled, barely recognizable red hair.

Cassandra had returned.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's note- I do not own characters (except Lex) and make no profit. As always, much appreciation and thanks for my beta Valawenel.

Chapter 16, Junk Food and Big Decisions

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"Cassie! Are you okay?"

"You're back!"

"Miss Cillion, are you injured?"

"Cassandra!"

A cacophony of concerned voices filled the room. Cassie held up both hands palms out and stilled the other voices with her own, issuing a loud and firm, "Stop!" In the ensuing silence, she nodded and spoke. "I'm fine, really. Perfectly A-okay. "

"Cassie," Eve said, "that looks like blood on your clothes."

Cassie looked down at herself, at what used to be a fuzzy, pink sweater and at the suspicious red splotches that stained it and her tattered flowered skirt. "Damn. I used to really love this outfit. Um, yeah, some of it might be blood but really, I am fine. It's a long story. I just need a shower and change of clothes. Oh, and a pizza would be great. I'm starved."

"Pizza!" Ezekiel said, as he pulled out his cell phone. "Now, that's something I know just how to fix! Pepperoni and mushroom, right?"

Flynn Took Cassie's arm and helped her to her feet as Eve examined her for obvious injuries. Despite the stains, Eve could find no sign of any wounds.

"Stop, really, I'm fine." Cassie's protests were interrupted by Jenkins pressing a bottle of water into her hand. "Oh, thanks, Jenkins. Eve stop. Flynn! Everybody relax! I am not injured. Hey, Ezekiel, order extra pizza and some cheesy fries, too. Now hear this, everyone. I promise I will tell you all about it, but absolutely not before I get that shower. So, move on out of my way."

"Cassandra," Flynn said, "I really think we just need to make sure you do not have any injuries first. You could be hurt and not know it. You could be in shock."

"Flynn. You are standing between me and my bottle of shampoo. That is not a place you want to be right now."

Eve took Flynn's arm and eased him out of Cassie's path. "Wait…" he began to protest but Eve stood firm.

"I'm a Guardian. It's my job to protect and you appear to be the one in the most danger at the moment. Let. The. Woman. Bathe."

"Thank you!" Cassie said as she flounced from the room.

"Pizza's on the way!" Ezekiel said cheerfully.

.

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Jake turned the pages slowly, examining each chapter until he found what he needed. The first page of the chapter boasted a beautifully drawn picture of a large book which was open on a table top podium, and glowing like a miniature sun. Three men and two women bent over it, intently reading a page.

"I hope I am doing the right thing," Jake said, looking up at the old man.

Lex just smiled.

"Do you know? Can you see how the stories end?" Jake asked, though he did not expect to get an answer.

Lex looked away. "There is only so much I can do, and I have done it."

"Well, there might be one more small thing you could do for me."

"And what might that be, Librarian?"

Jake grinned. "I am going to need to borrow that pen and a piece of paper."

Lex chuckled. "You are quite the clever one, Jacob. It has been a sincere honor to make your acquaintance." He tore a piece of paper from his notebook and passed it to Jake along with the pen.

Using the book as a desk, Jake wrote a brief note in large block letters on the scrap paper. Placing the note and the book carefully on the ground, he unthreaded a shoe lace out of one work boot.

"This should do it. I gotta keep those idiots from doing anything else stupid," Jake spoke aloud though he somehow already knew before he looked up, that he was alone once again.

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The large table in the center of the Annex office served as a desk, a reading station, a meeting place and on occasion, a dinner table. This was such an occasion. The clutter of papers, books and artifacts had been cleared off and the table now hosted several pizzas, bottles of water, a tea pot and cup for Jenkins and a jumbo order of cheesy fries.

Freshly showered and shampooed, Cassie looked more herself. In fact, Eve thought, she looked great. Her cheeks had a rosy glow, her eyes sparkled and the dark circles they had all been noticing lately were gone. Despite the fact that her hair was still damp and she was dressed in jeans and a baggy T-shirt, Cassie managed to look terrific. And there certainly was nothing wrong with her appetite, Eve noted, watching the younger girl put away another slice with gusto. Then again, it had been quite a while since any of them had eaten and they all were devouring the food with enthusiasm.

Scooping up a generous portion of cheese laden fries, Cassie popped them in her mouth, chewed and swallowed before continuing her narrative. "So, then Apollo just shows up outta nowhere and stands there staring at me."

"Did he come back for the other Cassandra?" Ezekiel asked.

"No," Cassie said, "He knew she was gone. I think he kinda felt bad about it, though. Or at least as bad as a pompous self-centered Greek god can feel, anyway. And he did help me."

Eve looked up from her pizza. "Helped you how?"

"I don't know exactly. He said something about being a god of healing. He just touched me and all my aches and pains went away. I wasn't even thirsty anymore. Then he just went poof and disappeared."

Ezekiel and Flynn reached for the last slice at the same time and began a pizza tug-of-war. Eve used the distraction to seize the last of the cheesy fries. Jenkins, however, paused with his tea cup half way to his lips and looked thoughtful.

"Anyway. Enough of me. What are we going to do about Jake?" Cassie asked.

Eve didn't respond; her gaze followed Ezekiel. Having lost the pizza battle to Flynn, Ezekiel left the table and wandered nonchalantly over to Flynn's desk hoping to find a way to exact some revenge. He scanned the work area for something to pilfer or an idea for a good prank, but most of the desk was taken up by the relocated Book of Myths, still open to the chapter about Atlas. His thief's eye for detail locked onto the illustration that began all of this.

"Um, guys…"

Flynn gave Cassie a narrow-eyed look. "A plan, Cassie. We need to make a plan this time."

"I say we get right back in there and find a way to bring him home." Cassie said

"Oh, no you don't." Eve wagged a finger back and forth at Cassie. "There will be no more of that, do you hear me? No more jumping into books without a plan. No more rushing off without the rest of us. We are a team, Cassandra. Start acting like it."

"I never said I was going to go off without you," Cassie responded. "I just think we shouldn't waste any more time."

"Yo, guys." Ezekiel continued to try to get their attention but could not make himself heard over the raised voices.

Flynn stood and tried to take command. "We will figure out how to help Jake, and we are not wasting time. We do not even know if we can enter the book a second time. We need to research this and we will not be doing anything without a solid plan. Let's discuss this."

Ezekiel threw a hand in the air. "I have something to discuss."

"Discuss?" Cassie looked dismayed. "What is there to discuss and how long do you think Jake can last while we _discuss_ what to do?"

"Cassie, you are not being reasonable," Eve said. "Let's not forget what happened when you last decided to take matters into your own hands."

"Speaking of taking matters into hands…" Ezekiel said.

"Miss Cillion," Jenkins was using his unhappy-with-his-students voice. "Col. Baird and Mr. Carsen are correct. Impetuous actions have already proven to be calamitous. A well-considered strategy would be the most prudent course of action."

"I have a prudent course of action, if anyone would care to listen." Ezekiel was now waving both arms in the air. "But nooobody listens. Nobody thinks the thief knows what he's talking about. Nobody thinks the thief has anything important to say."

Eve tried to make herself heard, but the simultaneous babble of Cassandra's protests, Flynn's objections and whatever nonsense Ezekiel was spouting over there drowned out her efforts. Jenkins thumped his tea cup into its saucer with a bit more force than necessary and the rattle of china added to the general bedlam. Taking a deep breath, Eve placed two fingers between her lips and blew a loud, shrill and very effective whistle.

The room was suddenly silent. Flynn, who was closest to Eve, winced and rubbed his ear. Jenkins poured himself some more tea. Cassie stood, red faced and arms crossed in a defensive stance.

"Now," Eve said in a voice as soothing as she could muster, "Does anyone have any thoughts on how we should best proceed?"

Ezekiel threw one hand back up in the air and pointed to himself with the other hand.

"Yes, Ezekiel?"

"We do nothing 'cause Jake's got this covered."

"What?" Cassie, Eve and Flynn said in unison. Jenkins continued to sip his tea but did raise one eyebrow slightly.

"What makes you think that?" Flynn asked.

"Well, for starters…" Ezekiel pointed to the open book, "Atlas is back in that picture and Jake is gone."

"That's great, oh my gosh, that's wonderful." Cassie smiled with relief.

Eve shook her head. "But that doesn't mean that Jake is definitely out of trouble."

"Eve is right," Flynn said. "We may still need to go in there after him."

"Nope. I told you. We shouldn't do anything because Jake has this covered." Ezekiel looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. "Why doesn't anyone ever want to listen to the thief? And not just any thief, either. The World's Greatest Thief. One might think that you would have to be pretty smart to be The World's Greatest Thief, wouldn't you? One might think that such a brilliant and talented person would be worth listening to but nooo…"

Eve closed her eyes, focused on her breathing and mentally repeated her mantra. _I will not swat him, I will not swat him, I will not swat him._

"Mr. Jones," Jenkins said, taking another sip of tea before continuing. "If you could cease your litany of self-promoting descriptives long enough, perhaps you might allot a moment or two of time to opine on why you believe that we should do nothing and how you could possibly know that Mr. Stone has this situation in hand."

"I would be delighted to opine, _Mister Jenkins,_ if I might have everyone's attention, please." Ezekiel smirked as he looked as each of them in turn.

Eve wondered if the others could hear her teeth grinding. _I will not swat him. I will not swat him._

Apparently, Flynn actually could hear her teeth grinding. He leaned in close and whispered, "Eve, no hitting."

"I'm listening, Ezekiel," Cassie said. "Tell us why."

"Because," Ezekiel paused and swept a hand towards the book with dramatic flair. "There is a note tied to Atlas' leg that says so."

Eve blinked. There was silence for a moment before they all scrambled to crowd around the book and see the picture. Sure enough, Atlas was back, holding up the planet as before but scowling more than Eve remembered. And there was indeed a note. It appeared to be fastened to his tree trunk sized leg with a dark cord. Large block print covered the lined paper.

DO NOTHING.

DON'T COME HERE.

I GOT THIS COVERED.

SEE YOU SOON.

–JAKE


	17. Chapter 17

Author's note- I do not own characters and make no profit. Huge, heartfelt thanks to my beta, Valawenel.

This is the last chapter, though there will be a short epilogue to follow as I need to tie up a loose end or two. :-)

Chapter 17, Homecomings and Hawaiians

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Cassie turned the pages of a weathered old book on the lost city of Atlantis. It seemed that the ancient city truly was real and was likely to be where the lost Ark of Redemption was hidden. Jenkins felt that this artifact should be housed in the Library for safe keeping, so Cassie was keeping herself busy by researching the sunken city. She had been at this for days, but had no revelations so far. But if she was honest with herself, she would have to admit that her mind was not focused and her heart was not in it.

Ezekiel bounded up the stairs to the mezzanine with his usual exuberance.

"There you are! I was going to order some pizza. You interested?"

Cassie sighed. She had hoped that curling up into this little reading nook would keep her off everyone else's radar. It was almost a month since Jake disappeared into the book and Cassie couldn't stop worrying about his fate. She knew that she wasn't the only one concerned. Flynn was uncharacteristically quiet. Eve was hyper vigilant and frequently cast looks in the direction of the Book of Myths. Even Jenkins was more taciturn than usual, which Cassie had not thought possible. The sole team member apparently unaffected by Jake's absence was Ezekiel. His cheerful lack of awareness of the tension level in the Annex was grating on Cassie's nerves.

"I'm not hungry," she said with a tone she immediately regretted. "Sorry. Thank you for asking, but I had a big breakfast and I have got a lot of research to do, so…"

"Okay, but you don't know what you are missing. I found this new place and they have the best crust ever. I am not a big fan of pineapple, but these guys make the most delicious Hawaiian pizza. I could eat a large all by myself!"

"Ezekiel!" Cassie realized that she had raised her voice more than intended but her patience was wearing thin. "Don't you ever think about anything besides food and stuff you can steal? Aren't you even a little bit worried about Jake?"

Ezekiel shrugged. "Nope. And you shouldn't be either."

"How can you say that? Don't you care? I know you and Jake aren't the best of buddies but he is our teammate, and I can't believe you are behaving like this."

"Behaving like what, specifically? Behaving like a hungry person who needs to eat to keep his strength up because the next big Threat To Mankind could happen at any moment? Behaving like someone who saw a note from Jake saying that he has this covered? Behaving like someone who knows that Jake is one of the smartest guys around? Behaving like someone who trusts Jake to do what he says he can do? Well, my bad." He turned and headed for the stairs, throwing one last barb over his shoulder. "Maybe I am not the one around here who needs to behave better."

Cassie blinked back the sting of tears in her eyes. Ezekiel's words had hit home.

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Eve had been trying to be subtle. She had been working on projecting a positive, reassuring façade meant to ease the nerves of her charges. She thought she might have been pulling it off for the first few weeks, but with every day that passed without Jake's return, the tension level ratcheted up a few more notches. Even Jenkins, Eve noted, appeared calm at first glance but was unable to curb his frequent involuntary glances at the book. Of all of them, only Ezekiel seemed to be immune, she thought as she watched him trotting down the stairs from the mezzanine waving a take-out menu in his hand.

"Pizza?"

"Thanks, no. I'll pass."

"But there is a Hawaiian…"

Eve didn't get the chance to find out what a Hawaiian had to do with anything as they were interrupted by the entrance of Flynn and Jenkins, who appeared to be arguing. They kept their voices low but Eve could detect the heated tone of their words.

"No," Flynn said, "just no. Not a good idea. Let's just give it a few more days."

Noticing Eve and Ezekiel's stares, Jenkins bit back his reply and turned in the direction of his office without another word.

"Yo, Flynn. Pizza?"

"No, thanks."

"Dude, ya gotta eat. Minotaur or dragons or some other creepy thing comes crashing through the door, ya gonna be sorry that you are too hungry to fight."

Eve sighed. "I hate to admit it, but Ezekiel is right. We really should- _we all should_ \- eat regular meals, get proper rest and get back into our routine."

"What? What? Could you say that again? I couldn't hear you!" Ezekiel pantomimed putting his hand to his ear. "I am not sure but I thought I heard you say 'Ezekiel is right!'. Do we have a Guinness Book of World Records somewhere in this Library? We gotta enter this date, the date that Eve said I was right!"

Eve tried to smother her grin. "Okay, okay. Enough. Just order the damn pizza and let's get back to work."

"I'm afraid, Col. Baird, that pizza will need to wait." Jenkins had silently returned. He stood by the center table, pointing to the clippings book which was emanating a glowing light. "It seems that there is work to be done now."

Eve thought, not for the first time, that it was a little eerie how Jenkins always seemed to know when the clippings book was about to light up with a new task.

Ezekiel groaned and tossed the take-out menu into the trash.

Flynn bent over the book intently as Eve called up to the mezzanine. "Cassandra, you up there? We have a new clipping."

"Coming," came the reply. As Cassie strolled down the stairs. Eve noted that her eyes seemed a bit red and she looked like she might have lost weight. _Should have let Ezekiel order that pizza._ Eve noted Cassie's furtive glance towards the Book of Myths, now relocated to Flynn's desk and sporting some new safety measures.

"Let's see what we've got," Flynn said as he leaned in to read the clipping. Ezekiel, with his usual lack of personal boundaries, draped one hand over Flynn's shoulder and leaned in as well. Eve tried to hide her amusement. She could tell from look on Flynn's face that he was debating a well-placed swat or perhaps a sharp elbow to the ribcage. Enjoying the moment, she leaned in on his other side and whispered "Flynn. No hitting". Because Flynn was busy giving Eve a meaningful glare, it was actually Ezekiel who read the clipping first.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Ezekiel rolled his eyes so vigorously that Eve wondered how he didn't give himself whiplash. "Unusual weather variations blamed on the Loch Ness monster? It's never the Loch Ness monster."

Jenkins nodded in agreement. "Poor Nessy. She gets blamed for everything."

"I know, right?" Eve said. "She minds her own business and always behaves like a lady. But everyone thinks she's responsible for everything from the thinning ozone layer to the lack of world peace."

"Very true," Flynn agreed.

"Well, anyway," Cassie said. "At least it gives us an excuse to go visit her. I always enjoy our visits with Nessy. She's so pleasant to chat with. And the weather in Scotland should be nice at this time of the year."

"Oi, Cassie! Did you not read the clipping? The weather at Loch Ness is definitely not nice at the moment. Apparently they are having snow," Ezekiel said with a smirk, "Pink glittery snow!"

Jenkins and Flynn exchanged looks, and simultaneously declared, "Pixies!"

"Pink, glittery snow? That's a new one!" Cassie said. They all leaned in to take another look at the clipping in the book which continued to glow like a small sun. And that's when it happened.

Boom!

Happily, Jenkins had secured the Book of Myths in a reinforced lucite case. The flash of light was still blinding and the swooshy boom still loud. But apparently, encasing the book in a box had the positive effect of significantly blunting the rushing increase of air pressure and wind that tended to throw people around like confetti before discarding them dazed and nursing hangover-like symptoms. This time, Eve had spots in front of her eyes and ringing in her ears, but she was still standing. All thoughts of spots and ear ringing evaporated when Eve heard a familiar voice from behind her. She whirled and greeted Jake with a big smile. He was dusty, sweaty and heavily sunburned, but otherwise appeared well.

"Hey, everyone! What did I miss?" Jake's obvious pleasure at being home seemed to accentuate his southern drawl.

"Jake!" Cassie's squeal drowned out the ear ringing. "You're back!"

"Yeah, I…ooph." Jake's reply was lost when Cassie launched herself at him in a bear hug that nearly knocked him over.

"I'm so sorry, it was all my fault! I never should have touched that book and I swear I have learned my lesson." Cassie smiled brightly and held up one hand in a Girl Scout oath.

"It's fine, I…" Jake's words were lost again when Flynn gave him a resounding back slap and Eve stepped in for a hug as well.

"Welcome home, Mr. Stone," Jenkins said, with far more pleasure than he meant to show.

"Well, don't be expecting a hug from me, mate. You're a bit whiffy, ya know?" Ezekiel scrunched up his face and waved a hand under his nose.

Jake's sunburned face reddened more _. "_ Why don't you try holding up a planet out in the blistering sun all day? You'd be sweaty, too!"

 _Hmmm,_ Eve thought. _Ezekiel is definitely going to get swatted. Should I protect him? Let me think about this…_

"No worries, mate," Ezekiel said as he retrieved the take-out menu from the trash. "You can just shower while I order us some pizza."

Jenkins cleared his throat and pointed to the clippings book. "I believe you all have work to do, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," Jake said. "That can wait an hour or so. I read that chapter. It's not the Loch Ness monster, you know."

"It's never the Loch Ness monster!" The others said in unison.

"Its pixies, isn't it?" Flynn said. "I just know its pixies. And how on earth did they get their glittery little hands on a snow making artifact? Damn pixies. They drive me crazy."

"So, what happened, Jake?" Cassie asked. "Tell us everything!"

"I will, absolutely! Let's order lunch first. I'm starved. Holding up a planet burns a lot of calories."

Eve smiled and enjoyed the first sense of peace she had felt in weeks. Her crazy, unruly family was together again. Flynn was rambling on about pixies, though no one was listening. Jenkins was selecting a tea bag from his stash in his desk. Ezekiel was already dialing his cell phone while Cassie was clamoring for cheesy fries and Jake was inquiring about cheeseburgers.

"They don't do cheeseburgers, man. But wait until the Hawaiian comes! You're gonna thank me!"

Eve's smile vanished. "Wait, wait…what Hawaiian? Who is this Hawaiian that's coming? Does he have a security clearance? Ezekiel! I don't care if he is Hawaiian, African, French or from Mars. If you bring someone here without proper security clearance, I am so going to swat you!"


	18. Epilogue

Author's note- I own nothing and make no profit.

Well, this is it. It's been a fun and interesting ride. I would like to thank my beta, Valawenel, who has been terrific throughout this entire endeavor. And I would also like to thank the folks that left the kind reviews.

Epilogue

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Jenkins sipped tea and watched as Jake carefully spread an old parchment scroll out on the desk before him and pulled his pen and notebook closer in preparation of the translation. The main office in the Annex was very quiet. Flynn and Eve had gone to someplace called Warehouse 13 hoping to locate a lost artifact that controlled weather. Despite the fact that the pixies had been taken care of, it was still snowing over Loch Ness. Just Loch Ness. It wasn't pink or glittery any more, but it was still snowing. Of course, it might actually be a natural weather phenomenon, but nobody really believed that. Cassandra was upstairs on one of the mezzanines searching for reference books on magical snow.

Now seemed to be as good a time as any, so Jenkins placed his cup in the saucer and chose his words carefully.

"What troubles you, Mr. Stone?"

Jake looked up. "I don't know what you mean."

"Of course you do. You have been very…distracted since returning from the Book of Myths."

"Not at all. I am just engrossed in translating this scroll."

Jenkins reached over and turned the scroll right side up. "Perhaps the translation will be a bit easier, now"

Jake closed his eyes, shook his head slightly and made a soft growling noise.

"Do you wish to talk about it?"

"No. Yes. Maybe. It's nothing. Just something I wonder about."

Jenkins nodded and sipped his tea.

"It's just that I wonder what is real and what isn't sometimes. Obviously the scenes in the Book of Myths weren't real. I mean, I was holding up a planet. So, not real. Right? It was just some story that old guy wrote."

Jenkins remained silent but raised one brow.

"And I get it that there are other dimensions that are real, but this wasn't one of them, right? I know it wasn't real. I explained to Atlas how I knew to trick him. I told him about Hercules and his labors, the golden apples, all of it. If he was real, he would have remembered that and the story about him and Hercules would have ended differently. But it didn't. I checked."

"Mr. Stone, you have a question. Perhaps you should just ask it."

Jake hesitated before answering. "When Apollo healed Cassie, it was just part of the story. It wasn't real. I mean, he couldn't actually have..he wouldn't have…"

"You wonder if he cured Miss Cillian's cancer."

"Stupid, huh? He wasn't an actual god. He was just a character in a book. He couldn't…it's not possible, is it?"

"I don't know."

They both looked up as they heard footsteps on the stairs. Cassandra was carefully stepping down with a stack of books piled high in her arms. She was wearing a short mint green skirt, and a white sweater with bright pink poppies on it that seemed to accentuate her rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes.

"But," Jenkins said "you did come back with quite the sunburn."

Jake turned his attention from Cassandra back to Jenkins, and slowly smiled. "Why, yes, I sure did. Cassie is looking very good these days, isn't she?"

"Indeed."


End file.
